Invasion Day 2025: All The Marches, Protests & Events Happening Across The Country

January 26 has only been celebrated as a public holiday since 1994, but First Nations communities have been marking it as Invasion Day, or a Day of Mourning since before 1938.

The day commemorates the anniversary of British colonisation of Gadigal land, and simultaneously, the start of the invasion and genocide across the entire country that continues to this day. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it represents the destruction of culture and knowledge, the loss of countless lives, and the dispossession of land.

Culture wars erupt every January, as politicians and media try to distract people from the things that really matter. Just some (but nowhere near all) examples: the disproportionate numbers of Blak deaths in custody, the high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women, and the destruction of land at the hands of fossil fuels.

City Hub acknowledges that we cover the news that occurs on stolen land which was never ceded, and it is a vital part of our practice as journalists to acknowledge and respect this indisputable fact. This Invasion Day, we stand in solidarity with Gadigal people, the rightful owners of the land we work on, and stand with all First Nations people across the country.

We’ve put together a list of all of the marches, protests, and First Nations-led and focussed events happening across the country. If you are holding an event that isn’t on the list, please contact news@altmedia.net.au.

Invasion Day 2025 marches, protests and events

Gadigal (Sydney) and surrounds

• 5:30, Dawn Reflection, Circular Quay
• 7:30am, Wugulora Morning Ceremony, Walumil Lawns, Barangaroo
• 10am, Blak Caucus Invasion Day, Belmore Park
• 11am, Arakwal Survival Day Invasion Day, Apex Park, Byron Bay
• 11am-5pm, Bermagui Survival Day, Bermagui Oval
• 11am-3pm, Survival Day Griffith, Griffith Regional Aquatic Leisure Centre
• 11am- Survival Day Katooma, Katoomba North Public School
• 5pm, Blak Powerhouse, Manning House, Camperdown
• 10am – 7pm, Yabun Festival, Victoria Park, Broadway
• 7pm, Vigil: Truths, Barangaroo Reserve

Naarm (Melbourne) and surrounds

• 5:30am, Pilk Purriyn – Truth Telling at Sunrise, Cosy Corner, Torquay
• 5:30, Ballarat Survival Dawn Ceremony, View Point, Lake Wendouree
• 9am-5pm, Day of Mourning, Queens Gardens, Shepparton
• 10am, WAR Invasion Day Protest, Victoria Parliament House
• 12pm – 5pm, Our Survival Day, The Briars, Mount Martha
• 11:30am, Share The Spirit Festival, Treasury Gardens

Meanjin (Brisbane) and surrounds

• 9am, Talk Black Rally, Queens Gardens
• 9am, We Have Survived! Rally, Sunshine Coast City Hall, Maroochyadore
• 3pm – 8pm, Last Sunset: Activist workshop and community dinner, West End Croquet Club
• 7:15am, Benarrawa Survival Day, Simpson’s Playground, Graceville Avenue

Gimuy (Cairns) and surrounds

• 10am, Gimuy Invasion Day Rally, Fogarty Park
• 5:30am-3pm, Kunbul Survival Day, Strand Park

Kaurna (Adelaide)

• 7:30am, Mourning in the Morning – Smoking Ceremony, Elder Park, King William Street
• 9am, Kura Yerlo Survival Day, North Haven Surf Life Saving Club
• 12pm, Invasion Day Rally, Tandanyangga (Victoria Square)

Ngunnawal (Canberra)

• 9:30am, Sovereignty Day Rally, Garema Place Canberra
• 10am, Invasion Day rally, Tent Embassy

Gulumoerrgin (Darwin)

• 7:45am, Smoking Ceremony, Darwin Waterfront Lagoon

Boorloo (Perth)

• 12pm, Invasion Day Rally, Forrest Chase
• 3pm – 7pm, Birak Concert 2025, Supreme Court Gardens

Nipaluna (Hobart) and Limilinaturi (Devonport)

• 11am, Invasion Day March, Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre
• 11:30am, Limilinaturi Invasion Day, Talaminakali Health Service