Venue
Maldives
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Republic Day, Maldives guide
The day the sultanate gave way.
In short
Republic Day on 11 November is best for travellers curious about how the Maldives became a republic by popular vote in 1968. Expect a quiet morning of state honours in Male, flags on government buildings and a day off for most people, with awards for long-serving workers and top students. There is little spectacle, so plan around closures.
Republic Day marks the switch from sultanate to elected presidency in 1968, the change Maldivians count as the start of their Second Republic. It is the quietest of the national holidays: a morning of state honours in Malé, flags on government buildings, and a day off for almost everyone else.
The interest for a visitor lies less in spectacle than in the story. After centuries of rule by sultans, the monarchy was ended by a popular vote. The holiday is also when the state thanks its longest-serving workers and its best students, which says something about what the country chooses to celebrate.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Where: Male, Maldives
Venue: Malé
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, National Day
Nearest airport: Male (MLE) · 1 flight route
Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR); US dollars widely accepted at resorts
Time zone: UTC+5, no daylight saving
Language: Dhivehi, with English widely used
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Dress and behaviour outside resorts
Resorts set their own relaxed rules, but Malé and every other inhabited island follow local custom, holiday or not.
- Cover up
- shoulders and knees for men and women. Avoid short or tight shorts.
- Swimwear
- only on resort islands or in the designated bikini areas some local islands provide.
- Couples
- keep kissing and embraces for the resort.
- Topless sunbathing
- not allowed anywhere in the country, resorts included.
Currency and closures in Malé
The local currency is the rufiyaa, but US dollars are accepted almost everywhere and resorts quote prices in dollars. A few small rufiyaa notes cover ferries, buses and taxis in the capital.
With banks shut on the holiday, do not count on changing money in Malé that day. Arrive with what you need or sort it out the day before.
A 10 percent service charge is added to most bills, so extra tipping is optional, though tips are still common.
What happens on the day
- Morning
President's ceremony
Honours and speeches. In 2025, 97 people received the National Award for Public Service and 33 students the President's Award for Special Achievement.
- After the ceremony
Official reception
What Republic Day means for a resort holiday
Republic Day asks very little of a visitor. There are no street parades to plan around and no crowds to beat, and for most Maldivian families it is simply a day off work. The practical effect lands in Malé: ministries and banks close, so currency exchange, official paperwork and anything else that needs a counter should be done before or after.
Watch the news from late October. The government sometimes adds an extra day off beside the holiday, as it did with 10 November in one recent year, and that can stretch the closures in the capital. Couples planning a honeymoon around these dates will find resort ideas on our Maldives destination page.
From sultanate to republic
For most of their recorded past the islands were governed by sultans. A first attempt at a republic in 1953 lasted only briefly before the throne was restored. Britain's protectorate ended in 1965, and three years later the question of the monarchy went to the voters. When the vote came on 15 March 1968, roughly 81 percent backed the republic. It was declared on 11 November that year, and the Majlis, the national parliament, elected the former prime minister Ibrahim Nasir as its first president. Maldivians call what began that day the Second Republic.
That sequence explains why two holidays sit months apart. The July holiday celebrates freedom from foreign protection. The November one celebrates a change in who governs and how, a domestic decision made at the ballot box.
The honours list mixes the new state with the old one. Among the senior orders conferred in 2025 was the Order of the Dignified Rule of the Muleege Dynasty, a title that carries a royal house's name into a holiday marking the end of royal rule.
Walking around Malé on the holiday
With offices shut, the holiday is a fine day to walk the capital. Hukuru Miskiy, the Friday Mosque, went up in coral stone in 1656, its walls cut with Arabic lettering and decorative motifs. At the island's western end, a ferry of about 10 minutes reaches Villimalé, Malé's fifth ward and once a resort.
Getting there
Before you fly
Check entry rules on our Maldives visa page.
Into Malé
International flights land at Velana on Hulhulé. Taxis over the Sinamalé Bridge charge fixed fares of MVR70 to 90; MTCC buses cost Rf 10 on the main routes.
By ferry
The public ferry from the airport jetty takes about 10 minutes for MVR15, every 15 minutes from 06:00 to 20:30, then half-hourly until midnight.
To Hulhumalé
MTCC ferries cross from the Henveiru terminal roughly hourly, about 20 minutes for MVR10.
Seaplanes
They do not fly after dark, and late-day departures are the ones most often cancelled, so land early enough for the onward leg.
Where to stay during the festival
Malé has guesthouses from about US$20 and hotels from roughly US$40 to US$240 a night. Hulhumalé is generally cheaper and has beachfront rooms.
Out in the atolls, resorts work as normal over the holiday.
Weather and what to pack
November is a changeover month in the Maldives, between the wetter southwest monsoon and the drier northeast monsoon. In Malé expect highs around 30°C, nights near 25°C and some rainy days, often as short heavy showers.
The sea stays warm, around 28°C.
Worth packing
- Light clothing that covers shoulders and knees in Malé
- A small umbrella or rain jacket
- Sunscreen and a hat
Flights to Male for Republic Day, Maldives
The busiest routes into Male (MLE).
FromTo DAC MLE DhakaMale Available airlines2 airlines- US-Bangla Airlines
- Maldivian
Car hire in Male
Airport transfer to Republic Day, Maldives
Met at arrivals at Velana International Airport (MLE) and driven door to door to Malé.
- Velana International Airport (MLE) → Malé
- 12 km · 25 min
Restaurants and food in Maldives
Places to eat in Maldives before or after the celebrations.
Fresh in the Garden
Soneva Fushi, Kunfunadhoo Island, Baa Atoll, Maldives
Cuisine:Garden to tableContemporary
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
SEA Underwater Restaurant
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas, Kihavah Huravalhi Island, Baa Atoll, Maldives
Cuisine:ContemporaryInternational
- Dine-in
5.8 Undersea Restaurant
Hurawalhi Island Resort, Hurawalhi, Lhaviyani Atoll, Maldives
Cuisine:ContemporaryTasting menu
- Dine-in
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Rangali Island, Alif Dhaal Atoll, Maldives
Cuisine:Contemporary EuropeanTasting menu
- Dine-in
- Private room
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
No. The big public celebration, with a military parade, drumming and fireworks, belongs to Independence Day in July. Republic Day keeps to a formal ceremony and an honours list.
No. A first republic was declared in 1953, but it did not last and the sultanate returned. The 1968 republic is the one that endured, hence the name Second Republic.
No, it is always 11 November. That sets it apart from National Day and the religious holidays, which follow the Islamic lunar calendar and drift earlier every year.
Two: Victory Day on 3 November, remembering the failed coup attempt, and Republic Day on the 11th. Neither involves big public festivities, so they will shape your Malé errands more than your sightseeing.
It can. The Maldivian weekend is Friday and Saturday, and in 2027 the holiday lands on a Thursday, so government offices may be shut for three days running. In 2026 it falls midweek, on a Wednesday.
It is a popular window with couples, falling just before the peak season begins. Showers are still common in early November, but they usually come as short bursts.
Independence Day recalls the 1965 agreement in Colombo that ended British protection. Republic Day is about the country's own constitutional choice three years later, when Maldivians replaced their sultan with a president.
Stay & facilities
Yes, though the city will be quieter than usual. Ask your resort about boat transfers to the capital; how long the trip takes depends entirely on which atoll you are staying in.
No. There are no hotel bars in Malé, on the holiday or any other day. Resorts, liveaboard boats and the Hulhulé Island Hotel on the airport island hold licences to serve alcohol.
Timing & weather
Its usual hours are Saturday to Thursday, 09:00 to 17:00, with entry at US$3, and the surrounding Sultan Park is free. Holiday opening is not guaranteed, so check with your hotel before making the trip.