April · Nationwide
Anzac Day
The national day of remembrance for Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women, observed on 25 April.
The most significant day of remembrance in the Australian calendar. Dawn services are held at war memorials in every town and city across the country on 25 April.
Anzac Day, 25 April, is the national day of remembrance for Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women killed in war. It commemorates the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli in Turkey on 25 April 1915, which was the first major military engagement for both nations after federation.
The Anzac Day dawn service is the most significant single civic ceremony in Australia. Services are held at war memorials in every town and city across the country, with the largest at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra (tens of thousands attend every year) and at Martin Place in Sydney. The dawn service starts before sunrise, traditionally at 5:30am, and includes the playing of the Last Post, a minute of silence, and the reciting of the Ode of Remembrance.
Anzac Day is observed as a public holiday in every state and territory. Most shops close until at least midday, though this varies by state. The traditional Anzac Day morning is followed by a march in most cities and, in the afternoon, by the legal playing of two-up (a traditional Australian coin-tossing gambling game) in pubs across the country.
