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Jakarta plans big on 78th Independence Day festivities
Big crowds are expected to return for main and side events during the 78th Independence Day celebration in Jakarta, the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak and possibly last time before the capital moves to Nusantara in East Kalimantan.
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Elementary school students wave red-and-white flags on Jl. Raya Bogor in Cibinong, Bogor regency, West Java, on Aug. 1, 2023. Hundreds of elementary school students gathered for a celebration of the nation's 78th Independence Day anniversary, which falls on August 17. (Antara/Yulius Satria Wijaya)
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akarta is expected to see a series of festive celebrations for the 78th Indonesian Independence Day, which falls on Aug. 17, marking the first time since the country was hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, and possibly the last time before the capital moves to the new capital of Nusantara in East Kalimantan.
All the main events of the Independence Day celebration will be held in Jakarta, starting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s annual State of the Union address at the House of Representatives on Aug. 16 and ending with the flag ceremony at the State Palace on Aug. 17.
This year’s celebration is expected to be watched by bigger crowds compared with the celebrations in the past three years. The three previous ceremonies needed to be minimized due to health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, forcing organizers to invite as few people as possible and restrict the crowd of general spectators.
“We have flexibility for a livelier celebration of the independence month than in previous years after the pandemic,” the State Secretariat’s secretary, Setya Utama, said during a press briefing on Monday.
Members of the general public interested in attending the Aug. 17 ceremony at the State Palace can sign themselves up through the Palace’s website, Setya added. The organizers will then pick 8,000 applicants, four times the 2,000 selected to attend last year’s ceremony.
This year’s Independence Day will be the first after President Jokowi declared the end of the COVID-19 national emergency status in June. The government has also revoked crowd restrictions and requirements to mask up in public spaces, allowing people to congregate for public activities.
Read also: Independence Day: Proud to be an Indonesian amid global crisis
