New Delhi, Jan 16 (.) In a first-of-its-kind initiative, all enclosures at Kartavya Path for the upcoming Republic Day Parade will be named after rivers, while those for the Beating Retreat ceremony will carry names of musical instruments. Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will be the Chief Guests at the 77th Republic Day parade.
The 2026 Republic Day celebrations will centre around the theme ‘Vande Mataram’, marking 150 years of the iconic patriotic song.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar, while addressing media on Friday, said that the upcoming Republic Day Celebration–2026 will showcase ‘Vande Mataram’ through a wide array of cultural, military and people-centric initiatives.
As part of the parade on Kartavya Path, tableaux of six states and departments will highlight the theme, while essay, singing competitions and quizzes will be organised on the MyGov platform. Balloons carrying a ‘Vande Mataram’ banner will be released, and a Pan-India Band Performance will be held from January 19 – 26 across 234 locations in 126 cities.
The defence secretary further informed that to commemorate 150 years of Vande Mataram, paintings by noted artist Tejendra Kumar Mitra illustrating its verses will be displayed along Kartavya Path. Invitation cards and tickets have been designed around the theme, bands will play the tune during the Beating Retreat Ceremony, and thematic videos will be screened during the parade.
Emphasising citizen convenience, the Defence Secretary said Delhi Metro services will begin at 3 am on Republic Day and remain free for ticket and invitation holders. Metro parking facilities will be operational, all enclosures will be Divyang-friendly, and volunteers from NCC and MyBharat will assist visitors. Drinking water, toilets, first-aid booths, cloak rooms and rain ponchos will be provided.
On the digital front, all traffic, parking and seating information will be available on the Rashtraparv portal and mobile app, with parking locations pinned on Google Maps and MapMyIndia, factoring in traffic restrictions. QR codes will provide real-time access to parade-related details.
Around 10,000 special guests from across the country, recognised for exemplary contributions in areas such as innovation, employment generation, startups, self-help groups and key government initiatives, have been invited to witness the celebrations.
The Republic Day Parade will open with 100 cultural artistes performing martial music and feature a phased battle array display by the Indian Army, with detailed commentary.
Marching contingents will include the Bhairav contingent, Ladakh Scouts, and displays of new capabilities such as Shaktiban and Drone Shakti. An animal contingent featuring Zanskar ponies, Bactrian camels and dogs will also participate. In all, 18 marching contingents and 13 bands will take part, while the flypast will include Rafale, Su-30, P-8I, C-130, C-295, MiG-29, Apache, LCH, ALH and Mi-17 aircraft.
A total of 30 tableaux, 17 from States and UTs and 13 from ministries and services, will roll down Kartavya Path on the themes ‘Swatantrata Ka Mantra: Vande Mataram’ and ‘Samriddhi Ka Mantra: Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Eleven States and UTs will also participate in Bharat Parv.
A grand cultural performance on Vande Mataram involving about 2,500 artists will feature classical and folk dance forms from across India. The creative team includes M.M. Keeravani (Music Director), Subhash Sehgal (Lyricist), Anupam Kher (Narrator) and Santosh Nair (Choreographer), under the supervision of Dr. Sandhya Purecha.
The National School Band Competition, involving over 18,000 students from 33 States and UTs, will conclude with finals in New Delhi on January 24, 2026. One winning team will perform Vande Mataram in front of the dais on Republic Day.
. PWS .