Thousands flock to moving Anzac sunset tribute as Premier doubles down on public holiday

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 15:11, 24 April 2026 | Updated: 15:26, 24 April 2026 Crowds have gathered in Sydney as millions of Aussies prepare to commemorate Anzac Day Thousands of Aussies of all ages gathered along the Sydney Harbour foreshore on Friday night for the annual Lest We Forget Harbour sunset tribute to remember those who lost their lives serving our nation. A poem written more than a century ago during World War I has provided a moving backdrop for the Anzac eve event. The Ode of Remembrance is the fourth stanza of the poem For the Fallen, penned by English poet and writer Laurence Binyon and first published in September 1914. The ode, recited by Anzac forces to honour wartime sacrifices, has been a staple of remembrance services since 1921. As the sun set, its memorable words 'at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them' rang out across the Sydney Opera House.  A full orchestra and featured artists, including Patricia 'Little Pattie' Amphlett and Dami Im performed as rowboats carrying Surf Lifesaving volunteers from various clubs dotted the harbour and military ships sailed past. Thousands gathered at the Sydney Opera House for the annual Lest We Forget Harbour sunset tribute Rowboats carrying Surf Lifesaving volunteers dotted the harbour along with military ships  Demi Im was among the artists who performed at Friday night's service Bagpipe-playing veteran Warrant Officer Andrew Iverson also performed as part of the solemn service. Former governor-general and defence force chief Sir Peter Cosgrove was among those in attendance. It comes as NSW Premier Chris Minns defended his decision to bring in an additional Anzac Day public holiday, amid backlash from other states. NSW, the ACT, and WA will observe a substitute public holiday on Monday, while all other states and territories miss out. 'We've got 11 public holidays in NSW. The other states have 13. So we're a couple down on every other jurisdiction,' Minns told Sunrise on Friday. 'With Anzac Day falling on a Saturday and then a Sunday for this year and next year, we decided that we should have another public holiday.' He added that the decision followed consultation with the NSW RSL. The other states have no plans to follow suit in 2027. 'It's really important that people do keep that day as being sacrosanct,' Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. 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.