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View all search resultsFestive Indonesia celebrates 80th Independence Day
People across the archipelago celebrated the 80th year of Indonesian Independence on Sunday in a festive mood.
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Tourists watch as Sumatran elephants parade in an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Independence Day at Taman Safari Indonesia in Cisarua, Bogor regency, West Java, on Aug. 16, 2025. (Antara/Arif Firmansyah)
People across the archipelago celebrated the 80th year of Indonesian independence on Sunday in a festive mood.
In Jakarta, hundreds of people flocked to the National Monument (Monas) where the city administration offered 300,000 free packages of food from 600 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Numerous arts performances and a carnival were centered in Monas until Sunday evening.
The celebration was also marked by aerobatic performances by the Air Force’s Jupiter Aerobatic Team (JAT). Dozens of fighter jets, including F-16 Fighting Falcons and T-50i Golden Eagles, soared in the skies over Monas and the State Palace, forming the number “80” and displaying a banner bearing this year’s theme: “Bersatu berdaulat, rakyat sejahtera, Indonesia maju” (united sovereign, prosperous people, onward Indonesia).
“My friends and I traveled from North Jakarta, bracing pollution and traffic congestion, because there are so many things to do and watch at this year’s celebration,” visitor Sylvie Indriyani told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Air quality in Jakarta was recorded as unhealthy on the day and the city remains the fourth-most polluted city in the world, based on real-time monitoring by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir.
On Aug. 17 and 18, the Jakarta administration is charging public transit users only Rp 80 (0.5 US cents) per ticket, including for Transjakarta buses and Commuter Line rail services, down from the normal fare of Rp 3,500. A bus stop near Monas was seen to be packed with thousands of people on Sunday afternoon.
Hasan, who sold red and white accessories near the bus stop, said he did good business due to the increased number of visitors to Monas.
