The State Palace and Merdeka Palace are getting dressed up to welcome the 80th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia.

In the lead-up to the 80th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia's independence, the Presidential Palace in Jakarta appears different. For the past few weeks, workers have been coming in and out to renovate and prepare for this national event.

Last week, the State Palace facing Jalan Juanda was repainted. Scaffolding was installed so that workers could reach the upper walls.

On Tuesday (12/8/2025), the State Palace is already pristine white. The painting has been completed. The garden in front of the State Palace, featuring twin banyan trees, has also been arranged, complete with ornamental plants from the Bromeliaceae family or pineapple plants, as well as heliconia flowers.

Not only that, the side gate of the Presidential Palace has also been renovated. The gate has been made taller with the logo of the Presidential Palace featuring pillars and the Garuda bird.

The central courtyard of the State Palace and the Merdeka Palace has also undergone a transformation. Some of the asphalt pathways connecting the two palace buildings have been covered with tents adorned in Red and White. Strands of Red and White fabric also decorate the roof of the corridor linking the two palaces.

The Merdeka Palace has also undergone renovations. The back veranda of the Merdeka Palace is now enclosed in glass.

Previously, the back porch of the Merdeka Palace was left open. President Joko Widodo often utilized it to receive guests and engage in informal conversations on this porch. Several press conferences have taken place on this porch, including one where President Jokowi provided information regarding the first Covid-19 patient in Indonesia in early March 2020. At that time, Jokowi was accompanied by the Minister of State Secretary Pratikno and the Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto.

Now, the veranda is covered in glass with white trim. Light turquoise curtains look ready to block out the sun's heat.

In addition, the stairs on the left and right of the porch are now fenced. This white fence will serve as a safety handrail for those passing by.

Meanwhile, the front part of the Merdeka Palace's porch has now been equipped with a podium for the ceremony inspector of the Indonesian Independence Day. Therefore, an additional staircase has been prepared from the podium. This staircase will be used by the officers of the Flag Raising Troops who will take the flag from the ceremony inspector during the flag-raising ceremony.

In the afternoon, the Paskibraka used this ladder again to return the flag after the flag lowering ceremony.

However, this staircase has also been utilized when President Prabowo Subianto received a state visit from President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra of Peru, on Monday (11/8/2025).

In addition, semi-permanent structures appear to be ready on the right and left sides of the Merdeka Palace courtyard. There are also semi-permanent buildings on Jalan Merdeka Utara, directly in front of the Merdeka Palace gate.

Renovations have indeed been ongoing for several weeks now. Generally, the renovation workers only begin to enter the Merdeka Palace when President Prabowo Subianto has returned home or is not in the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

"How come (when the President is working at the Palace there is) no one to disturb the people working," said a staff member at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta to Kompas a few days ago.

Preparations for the 80th anniversary of Indonesia's independence are still ongoing. Dozens of workers are taking turns fulfilling their duties. Some workers were seen waiting for their turn to enter the Presidential Palace Complex on Tuesday afternoon. This group will install around one hundred large televisions both inside the palace and in the courtyard. These televisions will assist all participants in clearly witnessing the ceremony later on.

The Deputy Minister of State Secretary and one of the Presidential Spokespersons, Juri Ardiantoro, did not deny that various arrangements and preparations were indeed made at the Palace a few days before August 17, 2025. This is because not only the President, Vice President, and members of the Merah Putih Cabinet will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia at the Palace, but also the general public.

This year, the Palace has opened the opportunity for 16,000 citizens to participate in the commemoration ceremony of Independence Day at the Palace. The 16,000 citizens will be divided into two groups, with 8,000 attending the flag-raising ceremony in the morning. The others will participate in the flag-lowering ceremony in the afternoon.

Not only that, they also had the opportunity to participate in the people's party held at the Palace. Throughout the people's party, they could enjoy a variety of archipelago dishes provided by street vendors. There was also an entertainment stage available.

Therefore, Juri stated, the arrangements for the commemoration of Independence Day are still being made leading up to August 17. "This morning, the arrangements are being finalized," he said.

Meanwhile, a rehearsal for the independence commemoration ceremony began at the Merdeka Palace grounds in Jakarta on Tuesday (12/8/2025) morning. The Flag Hoisting Troops or Paskibraka commenced with the flag retrieval procession at the National Monument or Monas.

Two members of the Paskibraka then carried the Heritage Flag and its duplicate using a ceremonial carriage. Two military personnel stood at the back of the carriage to escort the procession. The ceremonial carriage was pulled by several horses.

The Paskibraka squad and TNI personnel then practiced raising a yellow and green training flag. Despite the rain starting to fall around 10:00 AM WIB, the troops continued to line up and practiced forming the formations of seventeen, eight, and forty-five.

The combined forces of the TNI and the police also practiced formations and dances. The Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and the Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, who monitored the rehearsal, also joined in the dancing.

Overall, according to Prasetyo, there were more than a thousand people performing at the 80th Indonesian Independence Day event.

After monitoring the dry run, Prasetyo explained that everyone is still adapting to the ceremony location. "Indeed, since it is still a dry run, it is not yet perfect. Meanwhile, we are also trying to evaluate which aspects we need to improve," he stated to reporters.

A total of 76 Paskibraka personnel from various regions in Indonesia have been training in Cibubur. However, it is acknowledged that some still feel nervous during the first practice at the Palace.

"Perhaps it is because it is their first time stepping foot in the Palace, some of them are still a bit nervous. From our experience, this is simply due to not being accustomed to it," added Prasetyo.

According to the plan, President Prabowo Subianto will inaugurate the Paskibraka on August 13. The final training will take place on August 14.

Throughout the rehearsal, traffic engineering was implemented. The road from Monas to the Presidential Palace was opened and closed. Prasetyo also apologized to all residents of Jakarta who were active around the Merdeka Palace.

"If indeed in the coming days there will be some disruption to comfort due to activities starting at the Merdeka Palace, we apologize. However, we are very confident that the public will not feel disturbed because the traffic engineering is intended solely to ensure that all activities commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia run smoothly," said Prasetyo.