Thousands are expected to attend the commemorations across the course of the day, with permit applications submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services for the events.

With 5000 people potentially attending the dawn service and march, special permits are required to hold the events which mandate the use of QR codes upon entry for contact tracing purposes and could see the cenotaph fenced off to control entry.

City of Ballarat Mayor Daniel Moloney said the goal was to get the commemorations to feel as close to normal as possible.

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"Aside from a few minor changes, it will be largely the same as we've had in the past. For us, it's important to get this special commemoration back on track," he said.

"It's important that we as a community stop and pay tribute to those before us that made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation so it's good we can stop and do that again this year."

Cr Moloney said the restrictions and protocols likely to be in place on the day were starting to become familiar to many.

"The element most people will notice this time around is the need to scan a QR code and we'll have some fencing and people will scan as they come in. That's the key thing the DHHS wants if we have a crowd larger than 5000," he said.

Ballarat RSL president Alan Douglass said the sub-branch was planning for about 200 people to take part in the Anzac Day march.

"There will be the normal marchers, around about 200. Schools are welcome to march with a restriction number of five per school, four students and one teacher," he said. "Most of our veterans, they're all thrilled that they're able to have the service at the cenotaph and march on Sturt Street.

"There's a lot of work involved in the preparation and organising the service and march. I am very pleased that we're able to hold it down at the cenotaph."

Smaller services around the Ballarat area, including at Sebastopol and Buninyong, will also be able to run under close to as normal conditions with crowds significantly less than 5000 expected.

Buninyong RSL president Ron Fleming said the sub-branch was determined to have a better commemoration than in 2020.

"We continued to commemorate those specific milestones, Anzac Day, Vietnam Veterans' Day and Remembrance Day, and but in 2021, we look forward to going back to larger gatherings and less restrictions," he said.

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