Every year on October 29, Turkey stops to celebrate the day it became a republic. Republic Day, known in Turkish as Cumhuriyet Bayrami, is the most important national holiday in the country, and its history reaches back to the founding years of modern Turkey. The celebration is a blend of official ceremony, popular festivity, and deep national feeling, and it offers visitors a rare window into the country’s identity. Whether you are in Istanbul, Ankara, or a small Anatolian town, you can join the crowds, watch the torchlight processions, and understand why this single day means so much to so many people. This guide covers the history and the celebrations.
The Road to the Republic
The republic did not appear overnight. It was the result of the War of Independence, the struggle that began in 1919 after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War and the occupation of the country by foreign powers.
Led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the national movement fought for three years, and by 1922 the occupying forces had been driven out and the last Ottoman sultan had left the country. The question that followed was what kind of state would replace the empire.
The answer came on October 29, 1923, when the Grand National Assembly in Ankara proclaimed Turkey a republic and elected Ataturk as its first president. The date marked the birth of the modern Turkish state, and it has been celebrated ever since.
The Proclamation of 1923
The proclamation itself was a swift and deliberate act. The constitution had been amended to define the new form of government, and the assembly voted for the republic on the evening of October 29, 1923, after a day of intense political discussion.
The new republic was a radical break with the imperial past. It was secular, it placed sovereignty in the nation rather than in a dynasty, and it set out to modernize the country through sweeping reforms of law, education, dress, and language.
The choice of Ankara as the capital was part of the same vision. The new state would be built from Anatolia, not from the imperial city on the Bosphorus, and the small town at the heart of the national struggle became the seat of the republic.
The First Celebrations
The first anniversary of the republic was celebrated in 1924, and the tradition grew quickly. In the early years, the celebrations were solemn and official: parades, speeches, and the reading of the president’s message to the nation.
Over the decades, October 29 grew into a festival. The day before the holiday, known as Republic Day Eve, became a time of concerts, torchlight processions, and gatherings in the squares, and the young people of the cities took to the streets with flags and music.
The enthusiasm of the early celebrations has never faded. Republic Day remains the day when Turks feel most united, and the celebrations in the streets are genuinely popular rather than merely official.
The Ceremonies in Ankara
The official center of the celebrations is Ankara, the capital. The day begins with a ceremony at Anitkabir, the monumental mausoleum of Ataturk, where the president and the leaders of the state lay a wreath and observe a moment of silence.
The president then delivers the message of the day, and the official receptions follow. The diplomatic corps, the military, and the representatives of the provinces take part, and the ceremonies are broadcast across the country.
For visitors, the ceremonies in Ankara are the most formal face of the holiday. The crowds gather outside Anitkabir to watch, and the avenues of the capital fill with flags and spectators during the afternoon.
The Torchlight Processions
The torchlight processions are the most atmospheric part of the Republic Day celebrations. On the evening of October 28, the eve of the holiday, the young people of the cities march through the main streets carrying torches and flags.
The largest procession takes place in Ankara, where tens of thousands of students and citizens walk the avenues of the capital. The flaming line of torches, the drums, and the shouts of the crowds make a powerful sight.
In Istanbul and the other cities, the processions are smaller but no less spirited. The marchers end in the central squares, where concerts and celebrations continue into the night, and the buildings are lit in the red and white of the Turkish flag.
Celebrations in Istanbul
Istanbul celebrates Republic Day with its own grandeur. The torchlight parade along the main boulevard of the city draws huge crowds, and the squares and the historic districts fill with families, flags, and street music.
The city’s great monuments play their part in the celebration. The floodlit mosques and the bridges over the Bosphorus, the museums and the palaces all become part of the festive backdrop, and the ferries crossing the strait are decorated with flags.
The atmosphere in Istanbul is festive and family-friendly. Street vendors sell flags and the red-and-white scarves of the day, the cafes stay open late, and the celebrations are an invitation to visitors to join the crowds and feel the city at its most patriotic.
Celebrations Across the Country
Beyond the two great cities, Republic Day is celebrated in every town and village of Turkey. The schools organize the parades, the local officials lay wreaths at the monuments, and the squares fill with the families of the community.
In the coastal cities, the celebration has its own color. The boats in the harbors are draped in flags, the seaside promenades fill with strollers, and the evenings end with fireworks over the water. The resort towns of the Aegean and Mediterranean, where the season is winding down, put on their best show of the autumn for the holiday.
In the eastern and southeastern cities, the celebrations are deeply felt and sometimes more solemn. Everywhere, the pattern is the same: the flag, the wreaths, the speeches, and the gathering of the people, each community marking the day in its own scale. The schools rehearse for weeks, the shopkeepers decorate their windows, and the smallest village holds its own ceremony at the local monument.
The Symbols of the Day
The symbols of Republic Day are the symbols of the republic itself. The Turkish flag, with its white crescent and star on a red field, is everywhere, hung from windows and balconies, carried in the parades, and painted on the faces of the children.
The portrait of Ataturk, the founder of the republic, joins the flag. His image looks down from the banners in the squares, his bust is covered with flowers at the ceremonies, and his words are quoted in the speeches of the day.
The anthem of the republic, the Independence March, is sung at every ceremony. The moment when the crowds sing together, with the flag raised and the young people standing to attention, is the emotional heart of the holiday.
What Republic Day Means Today
Republic Day is more than an anniversary; it is a statement of identity. For most Turks, the republic means modernization, secularism, and the sovereignty of the nation, and October 29 is the day these values are celebrated together.
The holiday is also a moment of national unity. In a country of great regional and political diversity, the republic is the shared foundation, and Republic Day brings the people together across their differences.
For visitors, the meaning of the day is best understood through the enthusiasm of the crowds. The flags, the songs, and the pride on display are not staged for tourists; they are the genuine expression of what the republic means to the country.
Practical Tips for Visitors
If you are in Turkey for October 29, plan ahead. The day is a public holiday, so banks and government offices close, and schools, universities, and many workplaces give the country a long break around the date.
Transport fills quickly in the days before the holiday, as families travel and the cities host visitors for the celebrations. Book your hotels, buses, and flights well in advance, and expect the squares and the monuments to be busy on the evening of the 28th.
To experience the celebration at its best, join the torchlight procession on the eve of the holiday, watch the ceremonies in the morning, and spend the evening in the main square of the city you are in. Carry a small flag if you wish to join the spirit of the crowd, and dress warmly, since the late-October evenings are cool across most of the country. The crowds are friendly, the atmosphere is electric, and the welcome for visitors is genuine.
Frequently asked questions
When is Republic Day in Turkey?
Republic Day is celebrated every year on October 29. It marks the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, when the Grand National Assembly declared the new state a republic and elected Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as its first president. The day is a public holiday, and the celebrations begin on the evening of October 28 with torchlight processions in the cities.
What happens during the Republic Day celebrations?
The day begins with an official ceremony at Anitkabir in Ankara, where the president lays a wreath at the mausoleum of Ataturk. The night before, torchlight processions fill the streets of the cities. Concerts, fireworks, and flag-filled gatherings in the squares continue through the day, and the Turkish flag and the portrait of Ataturk are the central symbols of the celebration.
Is Republic Day a good time to visit Turkey?
Yes, but it is also a busy one. Republic Day is a public holiday, and many Turks take a long break, so hotels and transport fill up quickly and should be booked early. For the atmosphere alone it is worth the planning: the torchlight processions, the concerts, and the crowds in the squares offer a genuine and moving experience of Turkish national life.
All Over Information
The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.
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