SYDNEY, October 2026 — The Evzones begin their Sydney and Canberra visit at the Martin Place Cenotaph at 1pm on Thursday 22 October, before Hyde Park on Sunday and Canberra on OXI Day.
Open to all, the Guard of Honour runs from 1pm to 2pm AEDT, Hellenic Club Sydney said. It honours Australian and Greek servicemen and women, in particular those of the Greek and Cretan campaigns.
Hellenic Club Sydney hosts the Evzones in Sydney, while the Hellenic Club of Canberra hosts and sponsors their Canberra visit. It is the first official Evzones visit to Canberra, and the NSW Government supports the Sydney program.
Sydney last welcomed the contingent in 2025, when it also stood guard at the Cenotaph. “To be able to host the Guard once again in our Centenary Year is truly special,” Nikolas Hatzistergos, president of Hellenic Club Sydney, said.
Evzones march through Sydney on Sunday
At 1:30pm on Sunday 25 October, the contingent will march from Elizabeth Street to the ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park. The flag-raising there is the flagship event of the Sydney program, organisers said.
This year, the Kalymnian Association of NSW hosts the ceremony, which honours shared Greek-Australian military heritage. Organisers have asked people to bring Greek flags, as crowds did at the 2025 march, and all are welcome.
Earlier that Sunday, the contingent will attend the 9:30am Divine Liturgy at St Spyridon Church, Kingsford, open to all. The Evzones will also join Hellenic Club Sydney’s ticketed Centenary Gala Ball at the Hyatt Regency on Saturday 24 October.
OXI Day in the capital
After Sydney, the Evzones will mark OXI Day in Canberra on Wednesday 28 October, the Hellenic Club of Canberra said. The day begins at 8am with the Divine Liturgy at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Kingston.
At 2:30pm, the contingent will lay a wreath at the Australian War Memorial. Later, at 6:30pm sharp, the Evzones will march from Matilda Street through the Hellenic Club carpark.
Then they will form a Guard of Honour at the club entrance. The Hellenic Club of Canberra has asked the community to arrive early:
“Members of the community are encouraged to attend and bring their Greek flags – we recommend being in position at our entrance by 6:15pm”
Hellenic Club of Canberra
A ticketed OXI Day dinner with the Evzones follows at 7:45pm in Kivotos, inside the club. Canberra landmarks will also be lit in blue throughout the evening, the club said.
The Evzones visit Sydney and Canberra for the 86th anniversary of OXI Day, Greece’s 1940 refusal of Mussolini’s ultimatum. In 1941, some 34,000 Australians and New Zealanders fought alongside Hellenic forces in Greece and on Crete.
Finally, the Evzones end their Sydney and Canberra visit at an 11am Doxology on Thursday 29 October, open to all. Archbishop Makarios of Australia will officiate at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady, Redfern, before a wreath-laying.
Greek City Times published the full program for the Evzones in Sydney and Canberra on 2 October.
All photos are copyrighted by Nick Bourdaniotis for Greek City Times
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