Anzac Day 25 April

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In towns and cities across Australia and around the world, Australians attend services to:

• salute the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have worn our country's uniform
• recognise the men and women who are currently serving overseas
• acknowledge the impact this has on them and their family and friends who remain at home.

Anzac Day is gazetted as a national event to recognise and commemorate the contribution of all those who have served Australia (including those who died) in time of war and in war‑like conflicts. It's always commemorated on 25 April. Australians have a public holiday when Anzac Day falls on a weekday. There's no replacement holiday when it falls on Saturday or Sunday.

Planning for the day

We have lots of information to help you plan a commemorative event.

Get our ready-to-print resources if you’re involved in a local event. Look inside our Anzac Day Kitbag. It includes the Ode of Remembrance, an order of service, sample speeches, music and craft activities.

Annual poster

Each year, we produce posters commemorating Remembrance Day. Hard copies are available to schools, community groups and ex-service organisations around Australia. Email education@dva.gov.au to request a free poster.

Print your copies to promote your local event. See our latest poster.

Anzac Day 2025 poster

Anzac Day Kitbag

National services in Canberra

Dawn service

Parade Ground, Australian War Memorial, Canberra

Friday 25 April from 5.30 am to 6 am AEST, with pre-dawn activities from 4:30 am.

The Australian War Memorial is hosting this service with support from the Returned and Services League of Australia ACT.

Find out about attending the Anzac Day Dawn Service.

Watch the dawn service broadcast live on ABC TV and ABC iView.

Later events

The Australian War Memorial is also hosting:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association Commemorative Ceremony at 7:30 am
• National Commemorative Service, including the RSL ACT Branch Veterans’ March at 9:30 am
• Last Post Ceremony at 4:30 pm.

Find out about attending these Anzac Day events.

State and local services

State services and marches are held in each capital city, as well as towns around the country.

Check Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) state branch websites for city services:

• RSL Australian Capital Territory
• RSL NSW
• RSL Queensland
• RSL South Australia (incorporating RSL Darwin sub-branch)
• RSL Tasmania
• RSL Victoria
• RSL Western Australia.

Contact your local council or RSL sub-branch for an Anzac Day service nearby.

Services held overseas

The Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) is supporting 4 Anzac Day services overseas:

• Anzac Day at Gallipoli, Türkiye
• Anzac Day at Villers-Bretonneux, France
• Anzac Day at Hellfire Pass, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
• Anzac Day at Sandakan Memorial Park, Sabah, Malaysia.

Wearing medals

On commemorative days, you need to know how to wear your medals or your ancestor's medals. Follow advice from the Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) about wearing medals, rosemary and red poppies.

About the dawn service

The Anzac Day dawn service originates in the Army's 'stand-to' routine. This was when soldiers in the front line guarded their posts at dawn, when attacks were often launched.

After World War I, many returned soldiers missed the comradeship they felt at these times. This is why a dawn ceremony became their preferred form of remembrance on Anzac Day. The tradition also has a symbolic link to the dawn landing on Gallipoli.

First Anzac Day

While the Gallipoli Campaign was still being fought, the landing on Gallipoli was already etched into the minds of many people. It became a defining moment in Australia’s history.

When the first Violet Day was held in South Australia to commemorate the war dead on 2 July 1915, the South Australian Governor, Sir Henry Galway, said:

If any day is to be chosen for Australia's day I think it should be April 25 … Those heroes will hand down the finest traditions to their sons and their son's sons, and still further on …

In 1916, the Acting Prime Minister, George Pearce, officially named 25 April as 'Anzac Day'.

The first anniversary of the landing was observed in Australia, New Zealand and England. More than 2000 Australians marched through central London to Westminster Abbey. King George V, Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes and Allied military leaders attended the service.

Australian troops in Britain, Egypt and France attended local services to commemorate the landing at Gallipoli.

Changing attitudes

Since its origins in 1916, Anzac Day has continued to be an important day for Australians.

By the 1920s, Anzac Day ceremonies were held throughout Australia. All States had designated Anzac Day as a public holiday.

During the 1930s, the Returned and Services League (RSL) called for greater acknowledgement of living veterans. The focus of the Anzac Day ceremony began to shift from a day of mourning to a day on which veterans commemorated their own war service and sacrifices.

In the 1940s, Second World War veterans joined parades around the country. In later decades, veterans from the conflicts in Korea, Malaya and Indonesia joined in.

In the 1960s and '70s, some Australians returning from the Vietnam War felt their service was not appreciated by the public. Some veterans felt excluded from the Anzac tradition, and they chose not to march on Anzac Day ceremonies for many years. A special Welcome Home parade held on 3 October 1987 helped to change those attitudes.

Today, Anzac Day ceremonies and marches include:

• Australians representing all conflicts, including veterans who served in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Rwanda and Timor-Leste
• veterans from Allied countries.

Visits to Gallipoli

Since the 1980s, many Australian travellers have gathered at Anzac Cove in Türkiye for the official service.

Gallipoli remains an important place in the collective memory of many Australians. People visit to connect with family stories and celebrate their Australian identity.