How To Celebrate Indonesian Independence Day With Kids In Jakarta

TRY NEW INDONESIAN FOOD EVERYDAY FOR A WEEK: Culinary Experience

Exploring the Indonesian archipelago in a week may be difficult, but it's easy if it's a culinary experience! Introduce the kids to new flavors every day of the week of August 17th and tease their taste buds with a plethora of spices! Though Indonesian food is famous for being spicy-hot, there are many kid-friendly, non-spicy options too. Make it a game and use an Indonesian map to pick which areas to try next!

See our list of yummy kid-friendly Indonesian snacks and dishes to try

ENTER LOCAL INDEPENDENCE DAY COMPETITION: Exciting Competitions For Kids!

Every year on Indonesian Independence Day the local authorities would organize competitions for kids and teens. These games include sack racing, rope pulling, cracker eating, and many more! Kids love participating in these events as they spent an exhilarating time with friends and family. One especially noteworthy competition would be a pole climbing race called Panjat Pinang. This game existed even before Indonesia's independence and is quite a sight! Tall poles covered in grease are erected with prizes at the very top, and kids and teens would compete to climb up in hopes to be the first to reach their coveted prize and win it. This game was banned during the pandemic but Little Steps has high hopes that they will have it again this year.

WEAR RED AND WHITE OUTFIT FOR THE DAY: Match The Indonesian Flag Colors

Match your outfit with the Indonesian flag colors: bravery red and purity white on August 17th, the Indonesian Independence Day. Not only does it make your day more festive, but dressing up for the occasion often gives you a financial advantage as well! Watch out for Independence Day promotions at the malls and restaurants. They usually give special discounts if you wear red and white on the day.

BIKE AROUND WITH THE FAMILY: Cycle Around Jakarta And See The Festivities

Independence Day Celebration means a lot of Indonesians will be out to join the festivities! Go ahead and cycle around the neighborhood and you might just spot some interesting sights. Independence Day Competitions, Small bikes fully decorated with red and white paper, and more. Some interesting spots would be the National Monument (Monas) area and the Old Town (Kota Tua) area. Either way, this day is a great day to go out and bike around with the whole family.

Want more info on cycling in Jakarta?

• Best Places For Biking And Cycling In Jakarta
• Best Places To Buy Bicycles For Kids And Adults In Jakarta

WATCH THE NATIONAL UPACARA KEMERDEKAAN ON TV: Flag Ceremony At The Presidential Palace

The National Independence Day Flag Ceremony or Upacara Kemerdekaan Indonesia is held annually at the Istana Merdeka (Independence Palace). Attended by the President himself, the ceremony includes the reading of the Independence Proclamation Text exactly at 10 am. Indonesia's best students are chosen to carry the flag. Once chosen, they go through rigorous training just for this event. The national anthem, Indonesia Raya, will then be played by the music corps of the army and police combined. Also not to miss is the fly-past by the airforce and music by the national orchestra, Gita Bahana Nusantara. The current president, Joko Widodo, has set a new trend to wear one of the Indonesian traditional outfits. Do you want to take a guess which province his outfit would be from this year?