With attendance at the Australian War Memorial's dawn service still limited by COVID-19 restrictions, this is a tradition that began last year in the dark, early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fewer Canberrans marked Anzac Day in candlelit front yards this time around, with thousands able to return to public vigils throughout the day, but many still plan to make their own Light Up the Dawn driveway service an annual event.

One of those is Banks resident Kath O'Callaghan, whose grandparents served their country in the Air Force.

She believes it is important that the sacrifices made by the Anzacs, and all servicemen and women, are not lost on young Australians like her son, six-year-old Gerrard.

"I'd like him to understand the history of it and know that the way we live now is because our forefathers fought for us," she said.

"I hope he'll march in the future, knowing what his great-grandparents did for him.

"Anzac Day has a special place in my heart and I've quite enjoyed the [Light Up the Dawn] services we've been able to have in our driveways."

Carrie Mitchell was another of the group that came together in Wilhelmi Crescent to commemorate the 106th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.

Her in-laws have served in the Navy, Army and Air Force, so the values embodied by the Anzacs resonate strongly with her family.

"It's something that I want to teach my kids about," she said.

"I want them to know what Anzac Day is about, rather than it just being a public holiday and a day to go out.

"I want it to be more than that."

The importance of remembering the sacrifices of our servicemen and women is what had her up and outside with the rest of the group at 6am on a chilly morning, with a Light Up the Dawn pack from the Returned and Services League.

"We come with our token New Zealander as well," she laughed, pointing out one of the others.

"And the Pommy just shows up."

While small Light Up the Dawn services have only come about in recent times, the time-honoured tradition of two-up made an in-person return at many ACT venues on Sunday afternoon.

Punters had to give the classic once-a-year game a miss or take part in a virtual event in 2020 amid harsh coronavirus rules, making the opportunity this long weekend all the more rare.

The mixture of old and new traditions appears to show that our acknowledgement of the Anzacs will not dwindle any time soon, and that whatever Canberrans are confronted with on one of the nation's most significant days, they will continue to find ways to commemorate.

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