Republic Day Parade 2026: What's new this year?
This year's Republic Day Parade on January 26 is all about celebrating India's big wins in culture and development.
The Ministry of Defence finalizes parade themes and invites submissions, and tableaus were selected by an expert committee through multiple stages—states, UTs, and ministries sent in their best ideas (with cool sketches!) via the Rashtraparv Portal, and proposals were evaluated on multiple criteria including quality, relevance, creativity, visual appeal and use of technology.
Themes & highlights
The parade spotlights two main themes: "The Mantra of Self-Reliance - Vande Mataram" and "The Mantra of Prosperity - Aatmanirbhar Bharat," showing off India's drive for innovation and growth.
An expert panel chose 30 tableaus—17 from states/UTs, 13 from ministries—that will each tell a story about tech, culture, women's empowerment, or rural progress.
If you're heading out to watch, remember it starts at 10:30am (gates at Kartavya Path open at 7:00am), and Delhi Metro is your best bet for getting there easily.