India GORepublic Day: India’s 26 January, and how to see the parade
The day a billion people celebrate one constitution
Republic Day marks 26 January 1950, the day India’s Constitution came into force and the country became a republic. It is a national holiday, and on Tuesday 26 January 2027 India marks its 78th Republic Day. The centre of it is the parade on Kartavya Path in New Delhi: the President unfurls the flag, regiments, bands and state tableaux move down the avenue, and a fly-past closes the morning. Tickets are sold only by the Ministry of Defence, in a short window in early January.
India's Constitution came into force; the world's largest democracy celebrates
Fixed date, a national holiday.
The legend
On the last night of 1929, on the banks of the Ravi in Lahore, Jawaharlal Nehru raises the flag: Congress demands purna swaraj, full independence.
On 26 January 1930 the whole country marks Purna Swaraj Day.
After independence the Constituent Assembly writes the constitution and adopts it on 26 November 1949.
It is brought into force on 26 January 1950, in memory of Purna Swaraj Day, and India becomes a republic.
Every 26 January since, the President unfurls the flag and a parade moves down Kartavya Path in Delhi.
Meaning
Delhi
The parade runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan down Kartavya Path past India Gate: regiments, floats from every state and a closing fly-past.
States
Every state capital holds its own parade, with the governor and chief minister.
Remembrance
Before the parade the prime minister lays a wreath at the National War Memorial, followed by two minutes of silence.
Customs
🎺 The parade
The President unfurls the flag, the anthem plays, and regiments, bands and state floats move down the avenue.
🎶 Beating Retreat
On 29 January military bands play at Vijay Chowk, closing the celebrations.
🏫 Flags at school
Schools and colleges raise the flag, sing patriotic songs and hand out sweets.
Words of the festival
गणतंत्र दिवस
Ganatantra Divas
"Republic Day" in Hindi
पूर्ण स्वराज
purna swaraj
"complete self-rule", the demand of 1930
कर्तव्य पथ
Kartavya Path
"the path of duty", the parade avenue, formerly Rajpath
संविधान
samvidhan
constitution
True or myth
✅ True. The 1950 original rests in such a case at the Parliament Library in New Delhi.
✅ True. Sukarno was the guest at the first parade in 1950, and a chief guest has been part of the tradition ever since.
❌ Myth. It is the longest written national constitution in the world.
Where to celebrate
Delhi
The one state occasion in India that behaves like a bookable event: the Ministry of Defence sells numbered-enclosure tickets on its own portal for a fixed ten-day window in early January, and the same parade runs as a…
Jaipur
Rajasthan's state Republic Day ceremony is held at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur: the Governor unfurls the flag and takes the salute of a parade of uniformed contingents, followed by folk dance.
Mumbai
Maharashtra's state Republic Day ceremony is held at Shivaji Park in Dadar: the flag is unfurled, the Navy, Army, Air Force, Mumbai Police and fire brigade march past, and department tableaux follow.
What you see on 26 January in Delhi
The day starts in silence: the Prime Minister lays a wreath at the National War Memorial, followed by two minutes of quiet. Then the President, as head of state, unfurls the flag, the anthem plays, and the parade sets off from Vijay Chowk down Kartavya Path, “the path of duty” (Rajpath until 2022), past India Gate. Marching contingents of the armed forces, mounted columns, military hardware, tableaux from the states and ministries, school children and folk dancers follow one another for a couple of hours, and the morning ends with the Air Force fly-past overhead. Every year a foreign head of state or government is the chief guest, a custom that began with President Sukarno of Indonesia in 1950.
The celebrations close three days later with the Beating Retreat at Vijay Chowk on 29 January, when military bands play as the light goes. On 23 January the Full Dress Rehearsal runs the complete parade in order, on free passes.
Outside Delhi the day is local: every state capital holds its own parade under the Governor or Chief Minister, and schools and offices raise the flag, sing and hand out sweets.
👣 Tickets: only from the Ministry of Defence
Getting a seat looks bureaucratic but is cheap and simple, as long as you are ready when the window opens. Ignore resellers and “packages”: the official channels are the only ones.
- Know the window
In 2026 sales for the parade, the Beating Retreat and its rehearsal opened on 5 January and the parade window closed on 14 January, from 09:00 each day until the quota ran out. Expect a similar window in early January 2027 and settle your trip dates before it opens.
- Buy online or at an official counter
Online at aamantran.mod.gov.in: register with a mobile number and OTP, then a government photo ID. In 2026 there were also six official counters, including Sena Bhawan, Shastri Bhawan, Jantar Mantar and the Rajiv Chowk and Kashmere Gate metro stations, with an original photo ID (a passport works).
- What it costs
In 2026: parade tickets at ₹100 and ₹20 (two denominations), Beating Retreat on 29 January ₹100, its rehearsal on 28 January ₹20.
- Free: the Full Dress Rehearsal
The rehearsal on 23 January is the whole parade on free passes issued through the same portal (in 2026 they were released on 15 and 16 January). It is the closest thing to a free seat.
- Before the day
Your enclosure is named after a river, and the name decides which side of the avenue you enter from. The seating layout, arrival and parking plan and the do’s and don’ts are published on rashtraparv.mod.gov.in. Carry the same photo ID you booked with.
Where to spend Republic Day
Delhi has the national parade; state capitals hold smaller ones of their own.
Delhi
The parade, the rehearsal and the Beating Retreat fit one stay if you arrive by 23 January. Stay in central Delhi near the Metro (Connaught Place, Janpath, Paharganj, Karol Bagh): on 26 January the Metro starts at 03:00, the ticket carries a free Metro QR coupon, and there is no parking near the venue. January fog regularly delays flights and trains, another reason to come early. Without a ticket, the second half of the route towards the Red Fort is open roadside. Full plan: [Republic Day in Delhi](/en/festivals/republic-day/delhi/).
Jaipur
Rajasthan’s ceremony at Sawai Mansingh Stadium: the Governor unfurls the flag (09:30 in 2024), takes the salute of uniformed contingents, presents police medals, and folk dancers follow. Entry is through designated gates, many for pass holders. Late January is high season in Jaipur, so book about a month ahead.
Mumbai
Maharashtra’s ceremony at Shivaji Park in Dadar, about fifteen minutes on foot from Dadar station: the flag, a march past of the Navy, Army, Air Force, Mumbai Police and fire brigade, and department tableaux. Seating is largely for invited guests, schoolchildren and senior citizens; the full dress rehearsal runs two days earlier.
✅ Security and etiquette
Delhi is on high alert for the parade, and the checks take time.
- Arrive very early — Security checks begin hours before the parade and there are several of them. Take the first Metro trains.
- Travel light — Read the do’s and don’ts on rashtraparv.mod.gov.in before you go and leave anything not on the allowed list at the hotel.
- The anthem and the flag — Stand for the national anthem and the flag unfurling. Dress warmly: January mornings in Delhi are cold and often foggy.
- Local flag-raisings — Ceremonies at schools and government offices are free and usually welcoming; ask before photographing children.
Why 26 January
On the last night of 1929, on the banks of the Ravi in Lahore, Jawaharlal Nehru raised the flag as the Congress demanded purna swaraj, complete self-rule, and on 26 January 1930 the country marked Purna Swaraj Day. After independence the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution, drafted under the leadership of B. R. Ambedkar, on 26 November 1949, and brought it into force on 26 January 1950 in memory of that earlier day. It is the longest written national constitution in the world; the 1950 original rests in a nitrogen-filled case at the Parliament Library in New Delhi.
❓ FAQ
When is Republic Day 2027?
Tuesday 26 January 2027. The date is fixed every year, and it is a national holiday.
Is 2027 the 77th or 78th Republic Day?
The 78th. The first was in 1950, so 2026 was the 77th and 2027 is the 78th.
Why is Republic Day celebrated in India?
It marks 26 January 1950, when the Constitution came into force and India became a republic. The date recalls Purna Swaraj Day, 26 January 1930.
How do I get Republic Day parade tickets?
Only from the Ministry of Defence: online at aamantran.mod.gov.in or at its official counters, with a photo ID, during the sale window in early January (5–14 January in 2026). In 2026 tickets cost ₹100 or ₹20.
What is the Beating Retreat?
The ceremony that closes the Republic Day celebrations on 29 January at Vijay Chowk, with military bands playing. It is ticketed in the same sale window.
Sources (8)
- Central government holiday list 2027 (DoPT, via CSIR)
- Aamantran, Ministry of Defence ticketing
- Rashtraparv, Ministry of Defence
- MoD press release: sale of tickets for Republic Day Celebration 2026
- Free passes for Full Dress Rehearsal, AIR
- Shivaji Park dress rehearsal, Free Press Journal
- State-level ceremony in Jaipur, Khaskhabar
- Republic Day in India, timeanddate