During the Republic of Indonesia Independence Day anniversary period in Jakarta, Ancol and Ragunan become popular go-to choices for family tourism destinations.

The festive atmosphere for the 81st Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta ran in lively celebration. The Ancol tourist complex and Ragunan Wildlife Park became the two most preferred destinations for Jakarta residents to enjoy the national holiday period.

PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol Tbk recorded 46,700 visitors present within the Ancol area as of 20.00 Western Indonesian Time.

Daniel Windriatmoko, Corporate Communication Head of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol Tbk, confirmed that visitor turnout had increased significantly.

"Total visitors reached 46,700 people as of 20.00 WIB this evening," stated Windriatmoko in Jakarta on Monday.

Beaches and Dufan Amusement Park Became Ancol's Top Attractions

Coastal areas acted as the main pull for Ancol visitors. All beach zones including Lagoon Beach, Carnaval Beach, Beach Pool, Festival Beach, Indah Beach and Marina Beach received high volumes of tourists.

Beside the beach areas, Dunia Fantasi (Dufan) amusement park also recorded one of the highest visitor counts across all Ancol facilities.

"The beach zones and Dufan amusement park received the most visitors today," he added.

This high turnout was directly driven by special themed events prepared by Ancol for the 81st Independence Day. The celebration programme combined entertainment, tourism experiences and patriotic national atmosphere.

One of the most viral attractions was an underwater flag hoisting ceremony for the Indonesian Red and White flag, held inside the Shark Tank of Ancol Sea World.

Sea World Ancol also hosted underwater traditional folk games and a theatrical performance titled Message From The Ocean Floor at the main aquarium hall.

Prior to the public festivities, Ancol management first held an official national independence ceremony at the Symphony of The Sea plaza.

Celebrations continued with the Merdekaria Funlympics at the eastern zone of Lagoon Beach. Classic independence day competitions including giant cracker eating, cardboard balance race, straw flour challenge and nail-in-bottle game were organised for all visitors.

Additional games included helmet sack race, water balloon smash, marble spoon race and other traditional national celebration activities.

A massive scale Areca Nut Climbing competition was also held at Beachpool, featuring 50 full areca palm trunks and 100 competing teams, with prizes ranging from bicycles to home electronics.

The full day celebration concluded with the Merdekaria Live Music Concert at Lagoon Beach starting 18.30 WIB.

Ancol Waived Gate Entry Fees On 17 August

As part of the independence celebration, Ancol provided free entry access to the entire complex for all members of the public on Monday 17 August 2026.

All visitors were however still required to complete advance online reservations before arrival.

"Ancol opens access for everyone to enjoy the complex without individual entry fees on 17 August 2026, as long as visitors complete advance reservation," Windriatmoko confirmed.

This policy successfully encouraged residents to use the national holiday to visit and utilise all recreational facilities available at Ancol.

Independence Day Celebration At Ragunan Wildlife Park

One day before independence day, 30,000 visitors had already been recorded entering Ragunan park.
To welcome guests, Ragunan prepared special programmes including guided gorilla feeding demonstrations and animal-themed competitions.

Ragunan Wildlife Park remained operational on the Monday national holiday, with its regular weekly Monday closure shifted one day forward. The park will instead close for maintenance on Tuesday 18 August 2026.

"Yes, as 17 August is a national holiday we remain open. Our regular weekly rest day is moved to Tuesday," explained Ragunan Public Relations officer Wahyudi Bambang.

Independence themed decorations were also installed across all public zones of the park to enhance the celebratory atmosphere.

Alongside public visitor programmes, park management also held light internal recreational competitions for animal keepers and staff. All staff activities were scheduled not to disrupt regular zoo operations.

"We only hold small fun competitions for employees, this will not interfere at all with normal park operations," Bambang stated.

Ragunan Expanded Parking Capacity For Visitor Surge

Anticipating high visitor volumes, Ragunan management implemented several precautionary measures, primarily expanding available parking areas for both motorcycles and cars.

"We have prepared additional alternative parking zones inside the park complex. For four-wheeled vehicles specifically, more than 37 separate parking areas have been activated," he said.

Both destinations offer distinct holiday experiences: Ancol provides coastal recreation, theme park entertainment and full national celebration events, while Ragunan offers wildlife nature tourism and family educational activities.