State Palace Adds 3,400 Quotas for Independence Day Ceremony, Registration Opens Tuesday

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the additional 3,400 public places for the 81st Independence Day ceremony at Merdeka Palace will be divided into two sessions on 17 August 2026.

The two sessions comprise the Proclamation Seconds Commemoration Ceremony in the morning and the Lowering of the Red and White Flag Ceremony in the afternoon.

“We will of course divide it into two sessions, namely the morning ceremony and the flag-lowering ceremony, to add or accommodate the numbers so that far more members of the public can attend at the Palace,” Prasetyo said in his statement in Jakarta on Monday.

Registration for the additional 3,400 invitations will open via the Pandang Istana website starting Tuesday (11/8).

Prasetyo said the quota increase was made to accommodate the high level of public enthusiasm for attending the series of events marking the 81st Anniversary of Indonesian Independence in person at the Palace.

According to Prasetyo, more than 336,000 people took part in the registration process, far exceeding the available invitation capacity.

“This shows and proves that the public’s enthusiasm to attend the commemoration of the proclamation seconds is very high,” he said.

The government will also seek to prioritise members of the public who have never attended the independence commemoration ceremony in person at the Palace.

“We will try to divide the allocation by endeavouring to prioritise our brothers and sisters, members of our public who have never attended at all,” Prasetyo said.

He invited the public to fill Independence Month with various activities according to their respective fields and expertise.

“Of course we all have our own skills, professions and fields, and as children of Indonesia, let us all fill this independence month with something imbued with a deep love of the homeland, a spirit of unity, nationalism and pride in the nation and country we love,” he said.