Citizens, tourists of all ages celebrate Georgia's Independence Day in Tbilisi, across country

Freedom Square and the adjacent Rustaveli Avenue in capital Tbilisi were the focal point of celebrations, with universities, inventors, entrepreneurs and various institutions holding displays and offering entertaining activities to those celebrating the date. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Young visitors of the celebratory events are photographed on the backdrop of an installation in the shape of Georgia and its provinces. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Participants of the May 26 date on Sunday pick pins bearing names of various professions from a board asking "what could your future profession be?". The pins were first picked by visitors of a recent Europe Day celebrations in Tbilisi. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Children photographed next to a robot exhibited during Sunday's Independence Day in Tbilisi. Startup groups, engineering students and universities brought hi-tech hardware for public displays during the day. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Visitors of Tbilisi check out crafts items exhibited and sold in the city. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Kids are entertained by Georgian Defence Forces service members, with locally produced armoured vehicles on show on Freedom Square during the celebrations. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

An American-made armoured vehicle, used by Georgian peacekeepers in Afghanistan, serving as a stage for young participants of the May 26 anniversary. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Displays of military hardware have largely replaced parades involving armed forces personnel that were prevoiously the central event of May 26 activities in Tbilisi over the years. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Puppeteers entertain young visitors with handcrafted characters in Tbilisi. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Visitors view a photograph of Tbilisi TV tower, an iconic sight of the capital. Photographs of landmark events, monuments and personalities from Georgia's history were displayed in the city along with brief facts about them. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Street signs of Tbilisi, with designs varying over the past century, displayed during the May 26 events and shows in the city. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

A Batumi State Maritime Academy display brought a mockup vessel to the capital, with visitors invited to take photographs next to the scale model. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Locals and visitors of Tbilisi walked the Rustaveli Avenue, which was closed for traffic for the celebrations. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

A recreation of one of iconic paintings by Georgia's early 20th century primitivist artist Niko Pirosmani serves as a backdrop for photographs taken during Independence Day. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

The May 26 date is marked after the day in 1918 when the First Democratic Republic of Georgia proclaimed the restoration of its independence from the Russian Empire. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Citizens and visitors of all ages found activities and shows corresponding to their interests in Tbilisi, with exhibitions of photographs, flora, science and more all going up in the streets. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Over a dozen locations across Georgia, from cities and towns in the subtropical west to the winemaking Kakheti province in the east and mountainous regions in the north, hosted events honouring the day. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

The Georgian national anthem was played across the country while international partners and officials offered congratulations for the date to the nation. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.