Stratford commemorates Anzac Day 2026
Date
Categories
Where
Anzac Day Dawn Parade and Service
Join our District Mayor, councillors, and representatives from the RSA, and NZ Defence Force from 6am on Saturday 25 April for Stratford’s Dawn Parade and Service
Dawn Parade starting 6am
The parade will leave the Colonel Malone Gates at 6am, moving in a procession from the Malone Gates, down Fenton Street, left onto Miranda Street, and finishing in front of the Cross of Sacrifice.
Marching in the parade? Please gather at 5.40am
Thank you for marching on parade. There’s no need to register your participation. Please gather at the Malone Gates at 5.40am and await instructions from the Parade Leader.
Dawn Service followed by kai and a cuppa: from 6.10am
Following the parade, a Dawn Service will be held in front of the Cross of Sacrifice on Miranda Street.
The service will finish at around 6.50am. Please join us for a free cuppa and some light breakfast afterwards in the Function Facility at the War Memorial Centre. All are welcome!
Wreath laying during the service
During the Dawn Service, there’ll be the opportunity to lay down wreaths. If your community organisation, group, or school wishes to be added to the wreath registry, please email ACrane@stratford.govt.nz
After registered wreaths are laid, members of the public will be invited to step forward and lay a wreath. Don’t be nervous about doing so. Wait for your turn, lay the wreath down gently, take a step back, pause for reflection, and then return to the crowd.
100‑year anniversary of Stratford’s Victoria Park Memorial Gates
9.30am, Anzac Day, Saturday 25 April
This year is the centenary of Stratford’s Victoria Park Memorial Gates on Fenton Street and all are welcome to mark the occasion at a short service and wreath laying ceremony at the Victoria Gates to recognise this 100-year milestone.
About the gates
The Victoria Park Memorial Gates were unveiled on Anzac Day 1926, by General Sir Andrew Russell, one of New Zealand’s most respected military leaders. They were built to honour soldiers from Stratford and the surrounding districts who lost their lives during the First World War, between 1914 to 1918.
The gates were funded entirely by the community, and there was much discussion at the time about what form the memorial should take. Most wanted something that was useful, meaningful, and enduring. The fact that we are recognising the gates and the fallen they commemorate a century later shows that they achieved exactly that.
Picture: Memorial Gates, Stratford. c.1926 Ref 12-017593-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. records22795232 John Reginald Wall Alexander Turnbull Library,.jpg
Other commemorative activities
Hall of Remembrance
Open 8am - 5pm from Tuesday 21 April to Sunday 10 May 2026
Open from 5.30am - 5pm on Anzac Day
Pay your respects to the Stratford residents who lost their lives in WWI and WWII by visiting the Hall of Remembrance in the Municipal Building on Broadway. You’re also welcome to lay a wreath in remembrance of those who have passed.
His Royal Highness, Edward Prince of Wales, officially opened this moving and unique roll of honour in 1920, with photographs of Stratford’s WWI soldiers. His Worship the Mayor N.H. Moss, Esq. unveiled photographs of WWII soldiers on Anzac Day 1951.
Wreath Making Workshop
10am - 12pm, Tuesday 21 April, Stratford War Memorial Centre
Create a wreath to be laid in the Hall of Remembrance to commemorate Anzac Day. Everything you need to make a wreath will be provided, but you’re most welcome to bring your own special flowers, foliage, or materials.
This is a free event, all ages are welcome, and registration’s not required.
