Patriots' Day is a state holiday observed on the third Monday of April in Massachusetts and Maine. In the current year, 2024, this date falls on April 15. The observance is legally defined by this floating Monday rule rather than a fixed calendar date.
The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the initial armed conflicts of the American Revolutionary War, which occurred on April 19, 1775. Originally celebrated on April 19, Massachusetts state law moved the observance to the third Monday in April starting in 1969. This change aligned with the federal Uniform Monday Holiday Act, creating a three-day weekend and standardizing the holiday's scheduling.
The most significant contemporary event tied to this date in Boston is the running of the Boston Marathon, which has been held on Patriots' Day every year since 1897. The holiday is also marked by historical reenactments of the battles in the towns of Lexington and Concord, along with a special morning baseball game hosted by the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, making it a day of major civic and athletic importance in the region.
