What happens at dawn services on ANZAC Day?

Dawn services on ANZAC Day are held at war memorials before sunrise on 25 April each year, recreating the timing of the original Australian and New Zealand landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Most services begin at around 5.30am, depending on the time of sunrise in each part of the country.

The format follows a standard liturgy. A catafalque party of four service members in dress uniform takes position around the cenotaph with rifles reversed, signalling mourning. The official party of veterans, civic leaders, and clergy is led in. Hymns and prayers are offered, followed by an address from a senior veteran or community leader. The Ode of Remembrance is then recited, ending with the line 'Lest we forget'. The Last Post is sounded on the bugle, followed by a minute's silence and the Rouse. Wreaths are laid at the foot of the memorial by veterans, government representatives, and members of the community.

The largest dawn service in Australia is held at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, attended by the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, members of Parliament, and tens of thousands of members of the public. Dawn services in Sydney's Martin Place, Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, Brisbane's ANZAC Square, and Perth's Kings Park each draw large crowds, and almost every Australian town has a service at its local cenotaph.

An ANZAC dawn service is also held each year at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula, with a parallel service at Lone Pine for Australians and at Chunuk Bair for New Zealanders. Australians travelling overseas often attend dawn services at Villers-Bretonneux in France, where the Australian National Memorial stands, and at Bomana War Cemetery in Port Moresby. The dawn service is also observed by Australian Defence Force personnel deployed overseas wherever they happen to be on 25 April.