Beautiful beaches, volcanoes, orangutans, tigers, Komodo dragons and jungles sheltering elephants. You can never get enough of this exquisite Southeast Asian nation. Don’t have plans for independence day’s holiday? Not to worry, we’ve got you covered. Try these fun, captivating activities instead.

1. A DAY OUT
For recreational or leisure purposes, you could hangout at the beach alone, with a partner or with family. Feel the soothing breeze, have a tasty meal, maybe a drink, while watching the waves, the birds and the bright blue sky. Sounds relaxing right?

2. WATCH THE PARADE
Indonesia’s Independence Day is locally known as “Hari Kemerdekaan”. In the capital of Jakarta and other large cities throughout the archipelago, this significant and beautiful day is celebrated with detailed parades including marching bands and floats adorned with the Indonesian red and white flag. It is indeed an exquisite sight to behold. You could watch or participate in the delightful parade.

3. PATRIOTIC COMPETITIONS
Not up for relaxing, then you could try some of these challenge ideas with your neighbours, friends, and family.
The following ideas would be quite fascinating;
• sack races
• A cracker or kerupuk eating contest
Competitors race to eat a giant cracker hanging from a string with their hands tied behind their back.
• The palm tree climbing contest
This a male-only event as it could be very tough. The trunk of the tree is greased to make scaling it tough, but whoever gets to the top first would be awarded a prize.
• Independence Day costume contest
You can ask your friends, family or guests to come dressed in their favourite patriotic attire for an Independence Day costume contest. Give top prizes for those who showcased the highest level of patriotism and creativity.

4. FLAG RAISING CEREMONIES
You can join the flag raising ceremony to raise the red and white indonesian banner. The official flag raising ceremony takes place at the State Palace, where a lot of people gather on bleachers to watch musical performances and shows from various regions. Fighter jets from the Indonesian Air Force will fly through the sky over the palace before the flag reaches full mast.

5. FOLLOWING THE HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE
You can visit areas and places anchored to the Indonesian independence such as The Museum of the Declaration of Independence, which displays information on how the independence proclamation was drafted, The Battle Museum, which contains the belongings of Indonesia’s most important figures during the fight for independence, and the Proclamation Monument, where the declaration of independence was read for the first time by Sukarno.

6. WATCH HISTORICAL FILMS
Watching historical films is also a good way to review the country’s history. You can watch “Soekarno,” a film about Indonesia’s first president. The film is typically a biography about Soekarno. It traces his life up to the time when he declared Indonesia’s independence.

7. COMMUNAL WORK
You can perform communal work alongside neighbours known as gotong-royong, which often involves gathering to clean up their neighbourhood together. Prepare and have culinary experiences from a horde of cultures.

Try out these activities and at the end of the day, your holiday will definitely be well spent and unforgettable, etching memories for a lifetime.