Australia Day is back again, although this year’s major events could see smaller crowds than usual as the Omicron COVID-19 outbreak continues to sweep most of the nation.
But there are still plenty of events going ahead across the country.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will present the annual Australian of the Year awards in Canberra from 7:30pm AEDT on January 25.
You can watch the awards ceremony on ABC iview and on the ABC News Channel.
On the big day, the Australia Day Live concert at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt starts at 7:30pm AEDT.
The concert will be broadcast live on ABC TV and later on ABC iview, where you will also find a selection of events, news and essential Aussie viewing.
No matter how you plan on spending your day, keep reading to find out what events are in store across the country or skip ahead to see what’s happening in your capital city:
Sydney
Sydney Harbour will be peppered with annual Australia Day events all day, including races, stunts and festivities, all set against the iconic backdrop of Circular Quay.
The outdoor events are free and billed as COVID-19 safe. The NSW government says there is no need for masks as events will take place outdoors.
WugulOra, meaning one mob, will be hold a smoking ceremony at Walumil Lawns Barangaroo Reserve to provide a sacred and reflective start to Australia Day, celebrating the world’s oldest living culture through dance, music and language.
The day on the harbour kicks off at 8am with the Sydney Harbour Splash at the Woollahra Sailing Club in Rose Bay, before a Ferrython takes place at 10:45am at Sydney Harbour, where all kinds of vessels will be colourfully dressed as they compete in an honours race.
Service personnel will then take centre stage from 11:30am, with the Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force salute at Hickson’s Road Reserve. It will feature HMAS Adelaide stationed between the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and a 21-gun salute.
At midday, as the last notes of the national anthem are played, F-35 Lightning II jets will fly overhead, before putting on a 10-minute aerobatic display.
Maritime Mayhem will follow at 12:15pm, a showcase of jet skis performing stunts and tricks.
The Harbour Parade will kick off at 12:45pm. The line-up will feature iconic vessels with their decks adorned in flags and other paraphernalia.
A Tall Ships race commences at 1pm, with historic and charter vessels racing from Bradley’s Head to finish under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
It’ll be followed by the 186th Australia Day Regatta, one of the oldest sailing events in the world.
The day will come to a close with the Campbells Cove Tall Ship exhibit, where 19th century three-mast ships can be viewed up close at The Rocks.
Canberra
Most of Canberra’s annual events will be hosted outdoors this year, in line with COVID-19 restrictions.
Canberra’s National Flag Raising and Citizenship Ceremony will go ahead in Parkes from 9am, welcoming 25 of Australia’s newest citizens in celebration of the day.
The National Museum of Australia is hosting a full day of mostly free activities, from 10am to 10pm. The event will include a smoking ceremony, music performances, weaving demonstrations, and guided tours of the museum between 10am and 1:30pm.
A Survival Day rally will also take place from 10am, starting at Garema Place and making its way to Parliament House.
Canberrans have been invited to Lake Burley Griffin for the Great Aussie Picnic from 11am, with five free event hubs around the lake, such as the Rockin Regatta at Regatta Point, with food trucks and bars at each of the five hubs.
Canberrans are being encouraged to wear a face mask where possible and are reminded that standing in bars and dancing in nightclubs remains prohibited.
Outdoor venue Stage 88 will host a ticketed Australia Day concert from 1pm to 9pm, with artists including James Reyne and Daryl Braithwaite performing and food trucks and a licensed bar on site.
Melbourne
Many of the Australia Day events held across Victoria will focus on reflection and respect for Indigenous Australians.
If you’re out and about in the city on the public holiday, live music acts and a night-time drone performance will be on offer.
The Australia Day Flag Raising Ceremony, which starts at 10:30am, will be hosted by Premier Daniel Andrews and attended by the Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau.
Share the Spirit, a festival that celebrates the survival of First Nations people, will be held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The free event will feature performances from Dan Sultan and Christine Anu, while weaving workshops and a market will run from 11am through to the early evening.
A main free public Australia Day concert will run at Melbourne’s Flagstaff Gardens from 1:30pm to 8:45pm and will feature artists such as Daryl Braithwaite, the Pierce Brothers and Didirri.
Another family-focused event, Reflect, Respect, Celebrate, will run from 10am until 8pm at Federation Square. Entertainment acts will include Bluey and Bingo and the Bananas in Pyjamas.
A Summer Night’s Drone Show will run over Victoria Harbour at Docklands between 9:30pm and 10:30pm.
The eight-minute show will run twice, telling the Wurundjeri creation story of “How the Platypus (Dulai Wurrung) Was Made” told and illustrated by Wurundjeri, Dja Dja wurrung and Ngurai illum wurrung artist Mandy Nicholson.
Communities across regional Victoria will celebrate in various ways, but the city of Ballarat will mark its third consecutive Survival Day dawn ceremony, an event that focuses on the Aboriginal victims of frontier violence.
While health authorities are encouraging people to wear a face mask even if outdoors, Victorians are also reminded they must wear masks indoors and show proof of two vaccine doses at venues.
Brisbane
In Brisbane, a 5pm Civic Ceremony welcoming new Australians will be followed by fireworks at South Bank.
There are Survival Day/Invasion Day rallies planned for parts of the state, including two in Brisbane’s CBD at Queen’s Park and Parliament House.
On the Gold Coast, Australia Day Celebrations will be held at Broadwater Parklands, Southport from 4pm with all-nations food trucks and a spectacular 15-minute fireworks show at about 7:15pm.
Cairns Regional Council is hosting a pool party at Tobruk Memorial Pool from 9am, with free sausages and beverages, while a beach party at Holloways Beach will also provide food stalls, live music and a slip ‘n’ slide.
Some Australia Day events in the state have been scaled back or cancelled due to the looming peak of the state’s current COVID-19 outbreak.
The annual Survival Day event on the Strand in Townsville has been cancelled due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
The city’s usual fun run and the Beach Day Out have been postponed, but the state flag-raising ceremony will go ahead in a scaled-back form. It will be attended by the Premier and Governor and be live-streamed on the council’s Facebook page.
There is no limit on outdoor gatherings in Queensland, but attendees to events must be vaccinated and use the Check-In Qld app.
Masks must be worn at indoor events as well as any place where you cannot maintain 1.5 metres distance from others.
Adelaide
Australia Day will begin in Adelaide with a smoking ceremony at 8am at Elder Park in the CBD, hosted by senior Kaurna leaders. The ceremony is free but bookings are required.
A free five-day light and sound show is also running at Elder Park.
Aus Lights on the River, running from January 22 to 26, will also explore connection to nature and belonging to Country. A food hub opens from 5:30pm and lights start at 8:30pm.
Adelaide CBD’s Rundle Mall is hosting a free five-day program of live music, storytelling, cooking demonstrations and performances featuring more than 60 community organisations. The program runs from 11am until 2pm daily from January 20 to 26.
For those looking to have family or friends over, it’s important to remember that home gatherings are capped at 10 people in South Australia.
Density limits are in place at hospitality venues, where people must be seated to eat or drink, and masks are required indoors.
Perth
A full day of festivities is planned for one of WA’s largest community events. Australia Day Skyworks is anticipated to attract more than 250,000 people along the city foreshore overlooking the Swan River.
The annual Birak Concert celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island cultures will feature a number of local Indigenous music acts performing in front of community stalls and an Elders Marquee.
Families will have a catalogue of amusements throughout the day, including rides, BMX stunt shows, and a water playground to cool off from the heat. Sporting fans will also have a chance to meet players from the Perth Heat Australian Baseball League team.
Skydivers, planes and helicopters will entertain the skies throughout the afternoon and into the night, with the last act finishing up just before WA’s largest annual fireworks display lights up the Swan River horizon.
An indoor mask mandate is in place for parts of the state, and additional restrictions will be in place for Australia Day, with all event attendees requiring masks both indoors and outdoors.
Proof of vaccination requirements will apply – COVID marshals will be performing spot checks at the Skyworks event to ensure patrons are fully vaccinated.
A pop-up vaccination clinic will also be available at the event for attendees to receive their COVID vaccine booster shots.
Smaller communities will also celebrate in the outer suburbs, with the cities of Armadale and Rockingham hosting local music talent, carnival rides, family activities and food stalls, with festivities culminating in their own fireworks displays.
Hobart
One of the main Australia Day events to take place in Hobart, the Sandy Bay Regatta, will be limited this year to water activities and the City of Hobart citizenship ceremony, due to the threat of COVID-19.
There will be roving musicians, a sausage sizzle, coffee and ice creams available.
The event runs from 8am to 2pm at the Long Beach Reserve, with the citizenship ceremony beginning at 10:30am. Masks are required.
Kingston Beach, south of Hobart, usually hosts a popular Australia Day event called A Day At The Beach, which has been cancelled this year due to COVID.
However, the annual ocean swim will go ahead from 7am, with numbers limited to 250 swimmers.
Swimmers can choose to race over 500 metres or 1,500m. No late registrations will be accepted.
The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre is holding its annual Invasion Day rally online this year because of COVID and speakers include 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame and Anglican Bishop of Tasmania Richard Condie.
On Hobart’s eastern shore, Clarence City Council is running a reduced citizenship and Australia Day awards ceremony at Bellerive Oval. It starts at 10am and is open to award finalists, new citizens and their guests.
Masks and the usual check-in requirements apply.
Darwin
The Northern Territory’s biggest annual Australia Day event will be a free concert at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, headlined by electronic music duo Electric Fields and Arnhem Land indie rock group King Stingray.
Darwin’s iconic Australia Day Ute Run will also return this year for the 21st time, with decked-out utes winding their way from the Hidden Valley Raceway to Noonamah Tavern.
Citizenship ceremonies including citizen awards are on across the NT, with the biggest one at the Darwin Convention Centre at 10am and the Palmerston Recreation Centre at 1pm.
There will also be a jet fighter flyover and 21-gun salute at the Darwin Esplanade Cenotaph at noon.
In Alice Springs, a smoking ceremony will begin at 7:20am on the lawns of the town council, followed by the presentation of Australia Day awards from 7:30am.
An indoor mask mandate is in place across the NT, meaning anyone attending a public event that is indoors will need to wear a mask, but no other restrictions are in place for these events.
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