Astana, 25 October. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended a State Flag-raising ceremony marking Republic Day on the square in front of the Akorda residence, and such ceremonies will be held in all regions of the country, the Akorda press service said.
The commander of the Honour Guard company reported to the President, after which the flag was raised and the national anthem played. In the morning the Head of State congratulated Kazakhstanis on the holiday. In his message he said this year opens a milestone stage, in effect a new cycle in the country's history, recalled the entry into force of the new Constitution and named the values on which, in his words, the common home is being built: Law and Order, Cleanliness and care for nature, Unity and Accord. The message ends with the wish that the sky-blue flag may always fly proudly.
Astana has prepared more than 120 events for Republic Day: concerts, plays, exhibitions, sports tournaments, a fair and festive campaigns, the city administration said. The day before, on 24 October, open-air concerts were held at 12 venues in all six districts of the city. On the holiday itself the Museum of Arts is hosting the lecture-concert "Rukhty El", the Azerbaijan Mambetov Drama and Comedy Theatre is staging "Zhas Abai", and an agricultural fair is open over the weekend. The administration timed the opening of several social facilities to the holiday, including the TANYM SPORT and TANYM ART multipurpose complexes on Tulebayev and Sultan Beibarys streets.
In Almaty the State Flag was raised at the Medeu high-mountain sports complex, and from 17:00 to 21:30 an open-air concert with popular artists will take place on Abai Square, the city administration said. The 4th Almaty Puppet Festival 2026, dedicated to the holiday, runs at the State Academic Puppet Theatre until 25 October. The day before, more than 70 young cyclists rode through the city with national flags in the "Kok Tuym — Maktanyshym!" ride. The Sazgen Sazy folk ensemble is giving concerts in Rome and Florence from 21 to 29 October.
The holiday is also being marked abroad: in Uzbekistan events were held for Kazakhstan's Republic Day, and the day before San Francisco City Hall and the Transneft building in Moscow were lit up in the colours of the Kazakh flag.
What it means: The country is marking its main national holiday with an official ceremony attended by the President and hundreds of city events; there are more than 120 in the capital, and in Almaty the day will end with an evening concert on Abai Square.
Who benefits: Residents get three days off in a row and a free festive programme. The state gets an occasion to recall the values the President named in his message and the new Constitution.
Background: On 25 October 1990 the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty. In 1995 the date was declared a national holiday, in 2001 it was given the status of a state holiday, and in 2009 Republic Day was removed from the list of holidays. In June 2022, at a meeting of the National Kurultai, Tokayev proposed restoring its national status. In 2026, 25 October fell on a Sunday, so the day off moved to Monday, 26 October: with a five-day week, Kazakhstanis are off from 24 to 26 October.
We have also reported that Tokayev said on the eve of Republic Day that GDP was approaching $350 billion.
