5 Ways to Commemorate ANZAC Day at Home

If you inadvertently find yourself at home this ANZAC Day, don’t stress. If there is one thing we learned from the pandemic lockdowns, it’s that there are several ways you can still commemorate the important Australian and New Zealand cultural occasions from home.

Like previous years, in-person events, such as Melbourne’s Dawn Service at the Shrine of Remembrance and the ANZAC Day March in Sydney (Friday 25 April 2025), will go ahead as normal from 9 am at the intersection of Martin Place and Elizabeth Street. However, the good news is that you will now be able to watch from home via live stream, an innovation that has flowed through many traditional ANZAC Day activities.

Pubs and other licensed venues will be allowed to serve alcohol from noon, while RSL clubs and sub-branches will be hosting two-up games. But there’s a lot more to ANZAC Day than simply getting on the beers and having a punt. If you’re unable to travel to Gallipoli to pay your respects, there are still several ways we can mark the day. These are our favourite ways to commemorate ANZAC Day from home.

1. Livestream the National Dawn Service

The best way to commemorate ANZAC Day from home is to tune into a dawn service from 5:30 am AEST. We’ve linked ABC Australia’s coverage on YouTube above, but you’ll also find access to their content on their official website and other streaming platforms.

This is a live feed from the ANZAC Day 2025 National Commemorative Service in Canberra, but you can also watch the NSW Dawn Service on Channel 9 from 4:20 am and the Sydney CBD ANZAC Day March on ABC TV and ABC iView from 9:00 am.

2. Light Up the Dawn

We first learned about “Light Up the Dawn” in 2020 as part of COVID-restricted commemorations. The national RSL-endorsed Light Up the Dawn campaign is one of the best ways to recognise ANZAC Day at home. The initiative calls on Australians to commemorate our veterans at a local cenotaph Dawn Service or to venture to the edge of their driveway, front yard or balcony to observe a minute’s silence at 6 am.

You can also light a candle, carry a torch or ‘plant’ fabric ANZAC poppies in the garden. Further to that, sharing a small post of social media to pay tribute to veterans and current personnel can be done by using #lightupthedawn.

Those who took part in previous years fondly remember seeing the community come together for a moment of solidarity in a troubling time. This year, we will see stronger and more positive participation.

3. Join the Last Post Project

Join the Last Post Project was another product of the lockdown-era ANZAC situation. It invites musicians throughout the country to join in a group chorus. Similar to the Light Up the Dawn initiative, this commemorative act urges musicians to play the Last Post separately, but in unison in their driveways at dawn on ANZAC Day.

According to the project, individuals, groups, bands and schools playing any instrument are welcome to join in the initiative, creating a full gamut of musician recognition. You can also register to get a personalised sponsorship page with all money raised to be donated to veteran charities, along with access to workshops and resources. If you aren’t musically inclined yourself, you can sponsor a musician or run your own dawn service.

4. Donate to the ANZAC Appeal

It might be the simplest way to commemorate ANZAC Day, but it’s still the most important. This year, you can share your support for returning servicemen and women by donating to the ANZAC Appeal. It’s an important initiative to support, as many veterans have done it tough in recent years.

You can donate to the ANZAC Appeal online or in person by buying a commemorative poppy or badge from an RSL volunteer.

Several volunteers are going cashless this year, so make sure you bring your card and give generously to a good cause.

5. Tune into a Tribute Concert

The late Michael Gudinski was a major supporter of charitable endeavours, and Music From the Home Front was viewed by more than 1.419 million people on ANZAC Day 2020. Launched during the height of the pandemic and fronted by artists including Jimmy Barnes, Ben Lee, and Bliss n Eso, the concert helped raise support, awareness and funds for returning servicemen and women whilst also providing some much-needed entertainment.

This year, your options for watching a tribute concert are limited. However, why not attend a concert in person instead? The Harbour Sunset Tribute is our pick of the bunch. It will see more than 100 of Australia’s best military, veteran and civilian artists come together to honour the fallen. Expect to hear the National Anthems, Acknowledgement of Country, a Procession of Drums and Torch of Remembrance as well as The Ode, Last Post, a Minute’s Silence and Reveille.

Alternatively, if it’s music that you’re after, country music star Wade Forster will be performing at The Beer Shed Brewing Co. in Western Sydney on ANZAC Day.