When is National Flag Day?
In 2026, National Flag Day falls on Saturday, August 22, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of National Flag Day
National Flag Day is observed on August 22. The date refers to the restoration and official recognition of the white-blue-red tricolour during the political events of August 1991. A presidential decree established the commemorative day in 1994.
It is not a federal non-working holiday. Public institutions may raise the flag, and museums or schools may explain the history and legal use of state symbols. The observance is best understood as a civic-symbolic date rather than a day with a single household tradition.
On August 22, 1991, the Russian SFSR’s authorities recognised the historical tricolour during the failed Soviet coup’s aftermath; subsequent legislation standardised the flag’s status and design. The 1994 presidential decree created the annual day. It is not included among Labour Code non-working holidays, so flag raisings, lessons and concerts occur during normal schedules. Descriptions should keep the civic symbol separate from claims that every resident interprets it identically, especially across a large, federal and multilingual state.
How National Flag Day is observed
A civic observance on August 22 with normal work and school schedules; public bodies choose flag raisings and educational programmes.
Traditions of National Flag Day
Formal flag raising
Public institutions may raise the white-blue-red tricolour with a short ceremony conducted under legal rules for state symbols.
History exhibitions
Museums and libraries trace earlier Russian flags, the tricolour’s public restoration in 1991 and its later detailed statutory definition.
Public colour displays
Concerts, projections and organised flag displays use the national colours, with scale depending on municipal plans and conditions.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Russian labour-law and official guidance. Annual substitute working days and local-service schedules should be confirmed against official notices.
History sources: Federal Service for Transport Supervision: National Flag Day, Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library: Russian history calendar, Labour Code of the Russian Federation, Article 112.
Continue exploring