For non-Indigenous Australians, January 26 has in recent years been celebrated as “Australia Day”; for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, it’s Invasion Day — a day of mourning, survival and invasion day rallies. The date has become a day of grieving what the tall ships from England brought with them — death, suffering, and the beginning of what’s now over two centuries of injustice and dispossession to First Nations people.
Being a good ally to Indigenous Australians is about more than talking the talk; you need to walk the walk. This means you need to take action, too. But on January 26 this could be very literal — by walking in an Invasion Day protest.
Thousands of people see January 26 as a day to mourn those who have passed and hold protests and demonstrations to fight for Indigenous rights to mark invasion day in Australia.
Just about every major capital city holds rallies and gatherings to call for action on things such as transparency around Indigenous deaths in custody and changing the date of Australia Day from January 26 (or abolishing the holiday all together).
So here is a list of invasion day events for 2024. It includes gatherings, protests, demonstrations, rallies, and marches on Friday, January 26, for you to go to and stand in solidarity with First Nations people across the mainland and our surrounding islands.
As always, if you feel unwell on the day, please stay home and support by paying the rent and participating online instead.
Invasion Day Rallies, Protests & Other Events
Events to attend in Warrane / Sydney
DAWN REFLECTION
A Dawn Reflection will be held in Circular Quay from 5:20am, and will be accompanied by the Sydney Opera House being lit up with Aboriginal artwork to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land.
INVASION DAY 2024 MARCH
Meet at 9.30am at Belmore Park for the Invasion Day rally, before a march around the Sydney CBD. It’s going to be hot, so wear a hat and bring lots of water.
If you live north of Sydney, there will also be an Invasion Day march in Newcastle. It will begin at 9:30am at Customs House before marching to the AwabaMi Festival at Foreshore Park.
THE WUGULORA CEREMONY
The WugulOra Ceremony (which includes a smoking ceremony and dance) will be held from 7:30am at Barangaroo Reserve. If you want to see it but can’t attend in person, it’ll also be broadcast on NITV.
YABUN FESTIVAL
Celebrating over 20 years, Yabun returns to Victoria Park in Broadway this year, and will also be streamed on the Yabun Festival website and on Koori Radio 93.7FM from 12pm.
Yabun Festival is the largest one-day gathering and recognition of First Nations people in Australia.
BLAK POWERHOUSE
Black Powerhouse is a collaboration between Indigenous social enterprise We Are Warriors and the Powerhouse Museum which seeks to “take back a day of sorrow” and turn it into “a day of power and positivity.”
You can check it out at the Powerhouse Museum from 5pm on January 26.
Events to attend in Naarm / Melbourne
DAWN SERVICE
A Dawn Service will be held at Kings Domain Resting Place, Linlithgow Avenue. It kicks off at 5am.
PILK PURRIYN TRUTH TELLING
From 5:30am to 7am at the Cosy Corner Beach a truth telling and smoking ceremony will be held in partnership with Surf Coast Shire Council.
INVASION DAY 2024 PROTEST
The dawn Service will be followed by the Invasion Day Rally at 10am at the Victorian Parliament which marches all the way to Flinders St Station.
OUR SURVIVAL DAY
The ‘Our Survival Day’ event will be held at The Briars at 10am. It features a killer line up, including Christine Anu, Jalgany and Kaiit, and there will be a bunch of food stalls and markets, too.
BALIT NURRAN / SHARE THE SPIRIT FESTIVAL
Rain, hail or shine the Share the Spirit Festival at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl will be happening. It kicks off at 11.30am.
Events to attend in Tarndanya / Adelaide
MOURNING IN THE MORNING
Mourning in the Morning is a reflective event that features a smoking ceremony, performances by First Nations artists Katie Aspel, Vonda Last, and Rob Edwards. It will be held at Elder Park from 8am.
SURVIVAL DAY MARCH 2024
This year’s Survival Day March is happening at Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga at 12:30pm.
Events to attend in Boorloo / Perth
INVASION DAY 2024 PROTEST
An Invasion Day rally is currently planned for Forrest Chase, on Wellington Street in Boorloo (Perth), from 12pm, with attendees asked to keep things COVID-safe.
BIRAK CONCERT
The City of Perth will hold its annual Birak Concert again this year, filled with incredible First Nations entertainment. Including Red Ochre Band, Pipeline and Phil Walleystack. It starts at 3pm and concludes at 7:30pm.
Events to attend in Meanjin / Brisbane
INVASION DAY RALLY
Kicking off at 8am at Queens Gardens for sign making, the march begins at around 9am and will finish at Musgrave Park. Local businesses will also have a pop-up mini-market across the event locations.
WE HAVE SURVIVED!
The Sunshine Coast is holding its own Invasion Day event to commemorate Indigenous folks’ survival. The We Have Survived! event will be held at Sunshine Coast City Hall and kick off at 9am. At 10am there will be a march, which will end with an open mic for people to share their stories and make meaningful connections.
Events to attend in Canberra
SOVEREIGNTY DAY RALLY
The Sovereignty Day rally organised by the Aboriginal Tent Embassy will take place at the Garema Place from 9:30am.
Events to attend in Gulumoerrgin / Darwin
SMOKING CEREMONY
Starting at 7:45am the Larrakia People will hold a Smoking Ceremony at Darwin Waterfront Lagoon, with storytelling and performances by local Indigenous performers.
INVASION DAY PROTEST 2024
The Smoking Ceremony will be followed by an Invasion Day protest that will be held from 8:30am at Civic Park (Civic Square).
Events to attend in nipaluna / Hobart
INVASION DAY MARCH
Hobart’s Invasion Day march will kick off at 11:15am at the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, followed by a rally at 12pm on Parliament Lawns.
The Limilinaturi/Devonport march will kick off at 11:30am at Tulaminikali Health Service on Best Street.
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