Anzac Day

Anzac Day is our day of national commemoration.

On Thursday 25 April 2024, the Australian War Memorial will mark the Gallipoli landings in 1915, as well as commemorating all Australians who have served and died in military operations.

The 2024 Anzac Day commemorative program includes:

Dawn Service at 5.30 am
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association Commemorative Ceremony at 7.00 am
RSL ACT Branch Veterans’ March at 9.30 am
Last Post Ceremony at 4.30 pm

Tickets are not required to attend the Dawn Service and Veterans' March.

Tickets are required to enter the galleries and attend the Last Post Ceremony. All tickets have been exhausted. The Commemorative Area and galleries will open from 1pm for registered ticket holders.

For further enquiries please email ceremony@awm.gov.au or call (02) 6206 9813

Dawn Service
Open Information

Date: 25 April 2024

Time: 5.30 am

Duration: Approximately 30 minutes

Location: Sculpture Garden and western grounds

No tickets required

Join us on Thursday, April 25, 2024, for the Anzac Day Dawn Service in the Sculpture Garden. Commencing at 5:30 am, the Dawn Service provides an opportunity for quiet reflection in the peaceful moments before dawn.

Prior to the service, beginning at 4:30 am, representatives from the Australian Defence Force will read excerpts from the letters and diaries of Australians who have witnessed the realities of war firsthand.

The Dawn Service is a standing ceremony, with limited seating available exclusively for mobility-impaired visitors. For those attending in person, large viewing screens will be placed within the grounds to view the ceremony.

The Dawn Service Commemorative address will be delivered by Vice Admiral David Johnston AC RAN, Vice Chief of the Defence Force.

No tickets are required and all are welcome to attend.

For those unable to attend in person, the Dawn Service will be broadcasted live on ABC TV, ABC NEWS channel, Radio National, and ABC iView from 5.30 am (AEST).

Poppy's Cafe will be open, from 6 am, following the Dawn Service.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association Commemorative Ceremony, 7 am
Open Information

Date: 25 April 2024

Time: 7.00 am

Location: For Our Country sculptural pavilion

No tickets required

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commemorative Ceremony will be held after the Dawn Service at the For Our Country sculptural pavilion on the lawn near Limestone Avenue.

The ceremony is hosted by members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association (ATSIVSA). All members of the public are welcome to attend.

For information, please contact Garth O’Connell, National Secretary ATSIVSA on 6243 4513 or http://atsivsa.com/

RSL Act Branch Veterans' March
Open Information

Date: 25 April 2024

Time: 9.30 am

Duration: Approximately 90 minutes

Location: Australian War Memorial Parade Ground

No tickets required

Join us this Anzac Day for the RSL ACT Branch Veterans' March, returning to the Parade Ground of the Australian War Memorial. The Veterans' March will commence from Anzac Parade at 9:30 am, followed by the Anzac Day address delivered by Afghanistan veteran Damien Thomlinson. Proceedings will conclude with the National Anthems of New Zealand and Australia.

The general public is encouraged to attend, and seating will be available around the Parade Ground. Ticketing is not required.

Please note that the march will not be broadcast as in previous years.

Participation

Registration to participate in the Veterans' March closed on Monday 15 April. Should you wish to participate, please contact rsvp@awm.gov.au or call 02 6206 9813 for consideration.

Getting to and from the Memorial
Open Information

Road closures

Road closures will be in effect from approx. 7 pm on Wednesday 24 April and until no later than 6 pm on Thursday 25 April.
Traffic from Limestone and Fairbairn Avenue will divert onto Treloar Crescent
Anzac Parade will be closed from Constitution Avenue and the Blamey Crescent and Currong Street intersection

Cars/taxis/rideshare

Limited parking available onsite for the use of mobility impaired visitors only which will be filled on a first-come first-served basis
Drop-off/pick-up point in the western car park (adjacent to Campbell High School) for vehicles, taxis/Uber and rideshare services. If using taxi/rideshare please specify the western car park as the Memorial’s usual drop/off point will be inaccessible.

Public transport

The Australian War Memorial and Transport Canberra will be providing free bus services to and from the Dawn Service and RSL ACT Veterans’ March.

Buses to attend Dawn Service:

For the Dawn Service, pick up locations will be from Belconnen, City, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, and Woden Interchanges.
Shuttle buses will also be operating from the Canberra Centre and Russell Offices from 3.30 am to 4.50 am
Buses will resume 20 minutes after the conclusion of the Dawn Service to facilitate return trips
For more information regarding bus locations, departure times, and booking your free ticket, visit Register to ride

Buses to attend Veterans' March:

Shuttle buses will be operating from the Canberra Centre and the Russell offices from 8:15 am to 9:05 am
Buses will resume 20 minutes after the conclusion of the march to facilitate return trips.
For more information and to book your free ticket, visit Register to ride

View the Anzac Day maps

Anzac Day 2024 at the Australian War Memorial

The Dawn Service will be held in the Sculpture Garden and western grounds of the Australian War Memorial

The Veterans' March will return to the Parade Ground of the Australian War Memorial

RSL ACT Branch Veterans' March 2024. Registrations close 15 April.

The Anzac Day Tradition

Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

Learn more

Customs and Traditions

Commemorative ceremonies, such as Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, share many customs and traditions. Explore the origins and significance of these customs and traditions.

Explore

The Ode of Remembrance

The Ode of Remembrance is a poem that is commonly recited at Anzac Day services to commemorate wartime sacrifice. In collaboration with the Australian War Memorial, SBS has recorded translations of the Ode of Remembrance in 45 languages.

Listen to the Ode in your language

Last updated: 16 April 2024