Large parties have been held across Cameroon to mark the four decades President Paul Biya has been in power.
The 89-year-old did not attend the celebrations.
Mr Biya is Africa's second-longest serving leader.
Thousands of people danced in front of the city hall in the capital Yaoundé.
It was draped in an enormous portrait of Mr Biya emblazoned with the slogan "An exceptional president".
Not everyone would agree.
The main opposition leader Maurice Kamto said Cameroon under Mr Biya was a highly corrupt country where people's basic rights were trampled upon in a ruthless and arrogant manner.
The administration has become even more repressive since 2017 when separatists launched a violent uprising in English-speaking parts of the country.
Source: BBC