Joint Rehearsals Organized ahead of Commemoration of Indonesia’s Independence Day
Preparations for the 81st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia have entered the partial rehearsal stage, held at the grounds of Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday (8/11). After previously conducting separate training sessions, several teams involved in the ceremony, including the ceremony team and the national flag hoisting troop (Paskibraka), had begun joint rehearsals as part of preparations for the ceremony scheduled to take place on August 17, 2026.
“Today is Tuesday, August 11, 2026. We have begun preparations for the rehearsals, although they are still partial. The teams are still practicing separately after spending some time training on their own. The ceremony team has been training separately, and the Paskibraka has also been training separately. Today, we have begun joint rehearsals here at the Palace,” said Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi in a statement to the media.
The Minister explained that the joint rehearsal stage was an initial adjustment. A more comprehensive full rehearsal would begin on August 12, 2026, providing an opportunity to evaluate and refine the various elements of the ceremony.
“This is only the initial adjustment stage. Although there have been some corrections, they have not been too extensive. Starting tomorrow, we will conduct a full rehearsal, and that is when we will begin making more detailed improvements,” the Minister said.
Meanwhile, the Minister noted that the high level of public enthusiasm for attending the 81st Independence Day celebrations had prompted the organizing committee to increase the number of available invitations. Following a site inspection, the committee decided to add one more block of seating to accommodate more members of the public who had registered.
“We just checked the site because of the tremendous enthusiasm among those who registered. We decided to add one more block to increase the number of invitations for those who have registered. We estimate that around 3,400 additional people can be accommodated, which will later be divided between the morning and afternoon events,” said the Minister.
The Minister stated that during the five-day registration period, more than 336,000 people registered to attend the ceremony. This figure far exceeded the initial capacity of approximately 5,500 invitations.
“After reviewing the figures, it was not four days but five days of registration, during which the total number of registrants exceeded approximately 336,000. The initial capacity was only 5,500, but we have ensured that an additional 3,400 seats will be made available,” he explained.
In addition to increasing the invitation capacity, the committee was also preparing a more suitable area for those who wish to watch the ceremony from outside the Merdeka Palace grounds. This was intended to accommodate the large number of people who were unable to obtain official invitations.
“We have checked the site earlier, and to make the viewing experience more comfortable, we will try to prepare a more suitable area,” the Minister said.
Regarding invitations for government officials as well as the families of former Presidents and Vice Presidents, the Minister said that beginning Tuesday, August 11, 2026, we had assigned several government officials to deliver the invitations officially.
“Starting today, the organizing committee has assigned several government officials to deliver the invitations officially. Invitations are being extended to all former Presidents and Vice Presidents as well as their families to attend the Commemoration of the Proclamation of Independence,” he explained.
On the occasion, the Minister also apologized to the public, particularly road users, for possible traffic adjustments or closures on several roads around the Merdeka Palace area during preparations for and the celebration of the 81st Independence Day.
“We would like to apologize if, starting this morning and possibly over the next few days, there are adjustments or traffic closures on several roads, including Jalan Veteran and Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara. We apologize to all road users,” said the Minister. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (RD/MMB)
