Merdeka Square’s broad field faces the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, creating a public stage for civic ceremony. The lowering of the Union Jack and raising of the Malayan flag here in 1957 transformed a former parade ground into a powerful symbol of independence.
Guide preview
The open field leaves room for a ceremony to be seen by a crowd. Merdeka Square was once known as the Padang and used for parades and cricket; on 31 August 1957, the Union Jack was lowered here and the flag of independent Malaya was raised.
Continue exploring
Discover the full story
Keep reading with a travel pass and explore every full guide and tour.
UpgradeQuick facts
- The Union Jack was lowered and the Malayan flag raised here on 31 August 1957.
- The Malay word Merdeka means independence.
- The field was formerly called the Padang and hosted parades and cricket.
More places in Kuala Lumpur
Aquaria KLCC
Aquaria KLCC’s long transparent tunnel places visitors beneath a moving column of water and animals. The aquarium links exhibits from Malaysian streams and forests to coastal and ocean environments, inviting attention to habitats as connected systems.
ASEAN Sculpture Garden
Sculptures from across Southeast Asia sit within a landscaped garden beside Kuala Lumpur’s National Monument. The ASEAN Sculpture Garden brings public art into a park setting, where varied materials and forms invite slower looking among the trees.
Bamboo Playhouse
Bamboo Playhouse is a pavilion in Perdana Botanical Gardens built from a cluster of raised platforms and bamboo columns. Its design reinterprets the open village wakaf shelter as a playful public structure beside the lake.
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery brings together galleries on money, economics, Islamic finance, children’s learning and Malaysian art. Housed in Sasana Kijang, it links the central bank’s history with the country’s financial and cultural development.
Batu Caves
Batu Caves is a limestone hill and Hindu pilgrimage complex north of Kuala Lumpur, with cave shrines set into the rock. The site is sacred to devotees, especially during Thaipusam, and also reveals the region’s deep geological history.
Berjaya Times Square Theme Park
Inside Berjaya Times Square, the theme park turns a multi-storey mall into a vertical playground. Its two zones, Galaxy Station and Fantasy Garden, set thrill rides beside attractions designed for younger visitors.