Chaotic scenes as Aussies form queues around the block to play two-up at their local pubs for Anzac Day

By MATT JONES, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 06:27, 25 April 2026 | Updated: 06:28, 25 April 2026 Following well-attended dawn services across the country, Aussies have started to pack the pubs and clubs for a drink and game of two-up to commemorate Anzac Day. Queues began to form outside pubs from as early as 8.30am on Saturday. There was a massive line of pub-goers waiting to get into Sydney pub The London in Paddington. The venue was forced to cordon off Underwood Street as thousands of patrons invaded the popular venue.  'That is one of my favourite pubs in Sydney. It's only smallish compared to other local pubs. With that many people this morning, you'll be lucky to get a drink every four hours,' one person wrote online. Another local poked fun at the current rental crisis gripping the city. 'This could also be a rental inspection to be fair,' they said regarding the line-up to The London. Down the road in Surry Hills, well-known pub The Clock had a line the length of the block as eager locals waited to get a beer and play two-up. View this post on Instagram Queues outside The Harbord in Freshwater, Sydney Lines outside The Clock in Paddington are pictured Lines for the Clovelly Hotel stretched more than 100metres down the street, with Instagram page Bondi Lines, an app that tracks venue queues in real-time, telling Yahoo News it was the 'longest it's ever been'. The same Instagram page showed massive crowds outside the Harbord Hotel car park in Freshwater, where hundreds had gathered to play two-up.  Attendees said it took up to 45 minutes to get in to the establishment.  'Two-up at capacity, one in one out. Insane,' the Bondi Lines said. Understandably, Aussies were frustrated by the wait. 'With that many people this morning, you'll be lucky to get a drink every four hours,' one person said. Venues don't need a permit to host two-up on Anzac Day, but they must ensure the game is played in its traditional format, with measures in place to manage crowds.  Anzac Day crowds at pubs generally start to lessen after 3pm on the day. Once Aussies got in, they filled pubs across the country Hundreds gathered in pubs to play two-up and enjoy a few drinks with friends Aussies were in high spirits as they celebrated Anzac Day Pictured is the lines outside The London in Paddington Queues in Sackville in Sydney's north-west Anzac Day crowds at pubs generally start to lessen after 3pm on the day The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.