Experimental study on the flow patterns and transitions in a novel annular spouted bed with multiple air nozzles was carried out. Three distinct stable flow patterns, i.e. internal jet, jet-spouting, and fully developed spouting were identified. Two transitional flow patterns and flow instabilities, single internal jet, single jetspouting, and bubbling or slugging were found. Schematic diagrams and typical flow pattern images obtained by a digital charge-coupled display (CCD) camera were presented for classifying these flow patterns. Experimental results show that the internal jet or jet-spouting is easier to occur for forward nozzles than for angle nozzles with the increasing of spouting gas velocity. Due to the interaction of spouting gases from different nozzles, the turbulent exchange or mixing of particles among the nozzles in the fully developed spouting state can be observed distinctly. The total bed pressure drop varied with the spouting gas velocity increases, as a result of the transition of flow pattern. Typical flow pattern map at various static bed heights and spouting gas velocity were plotted for describing the transitions between flow patterns.