Indonesian Independence Day

What the day marks

Indonesia's independence was proclaimed on 17 August 1945, when the country's leaders declared themselves free of Dutch rule. The national day remembers that proclamation and falls on the same date each year. A government decree of 1946 made it an official holiday. It lasts one day. Since the date is fixed, everyone in the country knows when it comes. Indonesian embassies abroad also keep it, so citizens living overseas mark the same day as those at home.

The flag ceremony

The centrepiece is the flag hoisting ceremony at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, which begins around nine in the morning Western Indonesian Time on 17 August. Television and radio stations carry it live, and the State Secretariat streams it online. A guard of honour from the armed forces and police marches in, the president and vice-president arrive, and at ten o'clock a seventeen-gun salute sounds from the National Monument. The proclamation is read aloud, a moment of silence follows, and a prayer is said. Students chosen from every province raise the flag while the national anthem plays, then fighter aircraft fly overhead.

The days before

Observance starts well before 17 August. On 1 August a communal prayer called Zikir dan Doa Kebangsaan opens the season, organised by the State Secretariat and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Islamic recitation, salawat and lectures form the core, and members of five other faiths join at the end with an interfaith prayer for the nation. On 16 August, or the last Friday before the holiday, the president gives a national address at the MPR building in Jakarta. At midnight on 17 August a solemn night of reflection, Malam Renungan Suci, is held at the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery, honouring those who died for independence.

Red and white

From 1 August the country turns red and white, the colours of the national flag. A 2009 law obliges citizens to fly the flag at home, and public institutions, offices, schools and transport also display it, including Indonesian missions overseas. Many people leave it up for the whole month rather than a single day. Communities string pennant banners called umbul-umbul above streets and alleys and decorate neighbourhoods in the same two colours. The custom is long established. In 2018 some residents were reported not to know about the obligation, and local authorities handed out flags to households and businesses that had none.

Contests and celebrations

Once the morning ceremony ends, the mood turns festive. Neighbourhoods run lomba tujuhbelasan, the independence day competitions, with games for children and adults. Towns hold patriotic and cultural parades, and shops and businesses offer discounts to those marking the day. Schools, companies and other organisations arrange their own flag ceremonies, often a day or two after 17 August. At Indonesian embassies the flag goes up in the morning and comes down in the afternoon, and staff lay on cultural shows, singing contests and tent bazaars. Regional ceremonies begin earlier, at seven in the morning local time, with mayors, regents or governors as guests of honour.

How Indonesian Independence Day is kept

Before the day: a national prayer gathering on 1 August, a presidential address to the MPR on 16 August, and a midnight vigil at the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery. On 17 August the morning belongs to the flag. Regional offices and city halls hold their ceremonies at seven local time, then the national ceremony at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta runs from nine until noon, with the flag raised at ten. Since 2017 official guests wear traditional dress from different regions each year. In the afternoon communities hold competitions, and at five the flag is lowered at the palace.

When and where

The date never moves: independence was proclaimed on 17 August 1945 and the holiday is kept on 17 August every year. Related events fan out around it. The national prayer gathering falls on 1 August, the presidential address on 16 August or the last Friday before the holiday, and the midnight vigil opens the seventeenth itself.

Indonesia, from the largest cities to the smallest regencies, where local government offices run their own ceremonies on the morning of 17 August. Jakarta is the focus, with the national ceremony at the Merdeka Palace broadcast around the country. Indonesian embassies and diplomatic posts abroad hold their own hoisting and lowering, followed by food stalls and performances for expatriates and friends of the country.

What Indonesian Independence Day means

The day carries two kinds of memory at once. It recalls the moment the country declared itself free, and it honours those who died in the struggle, which is why the flag is raised slowly, a moment of silence is kept and a vigil is held at a heroes' cemetery at midnight. The red and white of the flag cover houses, streets and buses for a month, so the celebration is visible everywhere. For Indonesians abroad, joining a ceremony at an embassy keeps them tied to home.

Indonesian Independence Day dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

Questions people ask about Indonesian Independence Day

See also

MawlidAn annual festival marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, marked by poetry, processions and feasts.BarongA sacred Balinese masked dance drama depicting the eternal struggle of good and evilMudikIndonesians head home to family before Lebaran, in the year's biggest journeyMelastiA Balinese Hindu purification ritual held at the sea before Nyepi to cleanse sacred objects and people.

Good reading and sources

• Independence Day (Indonesia) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.