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

Lydia Jupp
January 23, 2025

Image: blakcaucus/Instagram

January 26 has , but First Nations communities have been marking it as Invasion Day, or a Day of Mourning since before .

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 , the high number of Indigenous women, and the of land at the hands of fossil fuels.

Star Observer 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.

As queers, it is our responsibility to stand and fight alongside Indigenous peoples. We celebrate Pride on unceded and stolen land and if we allow our celebrations to erase this fact, we are betraying a fundamental tenet of queer pride. When the 78ers marched down Oxford Street for the first time in the middle of winter, they for an end to “police attacks on gays, women, and Blacks.” From the very beginning of modern Pride celebrations, our struggles have been intertwined. There can be no queer justice without First Nations justice.

This Invasion Day, we stand in solidarity with Gadigal, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Boon Wurrung, and Turrbal and Yuggera peoples, the rightful owners of the land we work on, and we 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 editor@starobserver.com.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, , 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, , Manning House, Camperdown
10am – 7pm, , Victoria Park, Broadway
7pm, Vigil: Truths, Barangaroo Reserve

Naarm (Melbourne) and surrounds

5:30am, 鈥� Truth Telling at Sunrise, Cosy Corner, Torquay
5:30, , View Point, Lake Wendouree
9am-5pm, , 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鈥檚 Playground, Graceville Avenue