State Palace Prioritises First-Time Registrants for 81st Independence Day Ceremony

The government is prioritising new registrants to witness the 81st Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia ceremony at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta. Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi stated that this step was taken to provide an opportunity for citizens who have never attended the state procession.

As reported by Antara on Monday (10/8), Prasetyo explained that the committee would review the registration history of applicants. The main focus this year is to distribute the audience quota fairly by prioritising members of the public who have never had the experience of attending an event at the Palace.

“It is not that they are not allowed (to attend again), but we will try to divide the quota by prioritising our brothers and sisters, our citizens who have never attended at all,” said Prasetyo.

The high level of public enthusiasm is evident from the number of registrants, which reached more than 336,000 people during the registration period of 5–9 August 2026. This figure far exceeded the initial quota of only 5,500 seats.

In response to the surge, the Palace decided to add one additional block with a capacity of 3,400 people. Thus, the total available capacity becomes 8,900 seats, which will be divided into two sessions: the morning ceremony and the flag-lowering ceremony.

This year’s 81st Independence Day commemoration carries the theme “Indonesia Berdaulat, Adil, dan Makmur” (A Sovereign, Just, and Prosperous Indonesia). This theme reflects the direction of national development, which emphasises national self-reliance and the equitable distribution of welfare for all Indonesian people.

The peak event will take place on Monday, 17 August 2026. The main series consists of the Proclamation of Independence Seconds Commemoration Ceremony and the Sang Merah Putih Flag-Lowering Ceremony, involving state officials, ceremonial troops, and members of the public selected through the registration system.