Crowds Flock to Monas for Malam Merdeka Celebrations
Crowds began arriving at the National Monument (Monas) area on Monday evening (17/8/2026) to celebrate Malam Merdeka. Residents started filling the area from 6 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, coming in large numbers to witness the festivities marking the 81st anniversary of Indonesian independence. Visitors of all ages, from children to adults, captured the lively atmosphere, with some bringing musical instruments and singing independence songs to add to the merriment.
Various creative performances were prepared for Malam Merdeka, spanning from Monas to the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout in Jakarta. These included video mapping, immersive installations, a decorated vehicle carnival, and a drone show. Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya stated that the event involved thousands of creative talents from various subsectors and was designed as a space for the public to celebrate independence while also generating economic benefits for the people.
The immersive installations were held at six locations—three around Monas and three in the Hotel Indonesia area—with themes such as ‘Me and Indonesia’, ‘My Hope for Indonesia’, and ‘Proud to be Indonesian’. Visitors could interact through technologies including interactive videos, image generators, time tunnels, wishing walls, the Garuda Totem, and LED strips. The video mapping show at the Monas monument ran from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., using 32 projectors to present 13 content pieces depicting Indonesia’s journey from the pre-independence struggle to the proclamation and development towards Golden Indonesia 2045.
The decorated vehicle carnival began at 6:50 p.m., taking a route from Monas to the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout with 32 vehicles adorned with cultural elements, creativity, and government programmes. A drone show followed at around 10 p.m., with approximately 1,500 drones forming visual configurations centred on nationalism. In addition to the performances, the Monas area hosted around 600 MSME stalls, with two small business operators per stall, providing economic benefits to local entrepreneurs. The event also involved various creative economy subsectors, including design, fashion, music, performing arts, digital content, and new technologies.