By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Anzac Day: Dawn Service, march and two-upSunday 25 April 2027
- Additional public holidayMonday 26 April 2027
- Where
- Martin Place and the Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- April
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
From the NSW Government’s list of public holidays: Anzac Day falls on Sunday 25 April 2027, and NSW adds a public holiday on Monday 26 April. Anzac Day is always 25 April; only the extra day moves.
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Anzac Day is Australia’s national day of remembrance for those who served and died in war, and in Sydney it runs from a Dawn Service at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, before first light, to a march through the city to the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park. In the afternoon pubs and clubs play two-up, the coin game that is legal only on a few commemorative days. It is a public holiday, and since a recent change in the law most shops in NSW stay shut for the whole day, so plan food and errands around it.
What Anzac Day actually is
Anzac Day marks the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli in the First World War, and it has grown into the day Australians remember everyone who has served. It is solemn in the morning and social by the afternoon, and both halves are part of it.
Sydney’s commemoration starts at the Cenotaph in Martin Place with the Dawn Service, held in the dark at the hour of the original dawn landing. Later in the morning veterans, serving personnel and the families of those who have died march from Martin Place along Elizabeth Street to the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park, where a commemoration service follows by the Pool of Reflection. A sunset service back at the Cenotaph closes the day.
Two-up, tossing two pennies and betting on how they land, was played by soldiers in the trenches. NSW bans it as gambling for most of the year but lets pubs and clubs run it without a permit on Anzac Day, as long as they keep to the traditional game, and the pubs of The Rocks are where it is loudest.
Where to be
- Martin Place for the Dawn Service. The area closest to the Cenotaph is for invited guests, and the public gathers in the streets around it. Arrive well before the start: roads close from the early hours and the crowd builds long before dawn.
- Elizabeth Street for the march. The route runs from Martin Place down Elizabeth Street to Hyde Park, and the footpaths along it are the place to watch and applaud. It takes most of the morning, so you can join partway along.
- The Anzac Memorial and The Rocks. The memorial in Hyde Park hosts the early-afternoon service and is worth visiting on any day of the year. By then the two-up rings are forming in the pubs of The Rocks, where the game spills into the lanes.
Tickets and what it costs
Every part of the day is free. If you plan to play two-up, carry cash in small notes, and learn the calls before you bet: heads, tails, or two odds, which means a toss again.
Shopping is the trap. Since the law changed, NSW shops that used to open at lunchtime on Anzac Day stay closed all day, except for chemists, newsagents, petrol stations, takeaway food shops, pubs and clubs, and small shops with a handful of staff. Restaurants often add a public-holiday surcharge, and so they may on the extra holiday that follows.
Official information and booking: www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/anzac-day
Getting there
Martin Place and St James are the stations for the Dawn Service, Museum and St James for Hyde Park, and Circular Quay for The Rocks. Transport for NSW publishes its early services and road closures for the morning; check them before you go.
Late April mornings are cool, and the Dawn Service means standing still in the dark for some time. Bring a warm layer, and keep the phone silent during the service.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Arriving at the Dawn Service at the start time
The streets around Martin Place fill well before dawn, and late arrivals end up blocks away.
Counting on the shops being open
Most NSW shops now close for the whole of Anzac Day. Buy what you need the day before.
Treating the morning like a party
The Dawn Service and the march are commemorations. Stay quiet and still, and save the cheering for the veterans as they pass.
Expecting two-up on the extra holiday
The game is legal on Anzac Day itself, not on the public holiday added after it.
Other Sydney events
Frequently asked questions
When is Anzac Day?
On the same date every year, so it moves through the days of the week; when it lands on a weekend NSW may add a public holiday. The dates card above shows this year’s.
What time is the Dawn Service in Sydney?
Before first light, at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, in recent years at about half past four. Arrive early, because the public gathers in the surrounding streets.
Are shops open in Sydney on Anzac Day?
Most are not. NSW now requires most retailers to close for the whole day; chemists, newsagents, petrol stations, takeaway food shops, small shops, pubs and clubs can open.
Where can I play two-up in Sydney?
In pubs and RSL clubs on Anzac Day afternoon; the old pubs of The Rocks are the best known. It is legal on only a few commemorative days of the year.
Can visitors attend the Anzac Day march?
Yes. Anyone can watch from the footpaths along the route from Martin Place to Hyde Park and applaud as the veterans pass.
Sources
- NSW Government, public holidays
- NSW Government, Anzac Day events
- NSW Government, the Anzac Day trading restrictions
- Liquor & Gaming NSW, two-up on Anzac Day
- Transport for NSW, Anzac Day travel
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.