Governor Greenhalge proclaimed Patriots' Day in Massachusetts in 1894, replacingFast Day as a public holiday.[1] It was established on April 19, commemorating the date of theBattles of Lexington and Concord and the largerBattle of Menotomy in 1775, and consolidating the longstanding municipal observances of Lexington Day and Concord Day. It also marked the first bloodshed of theAmerican Civil War in theBaltimore riot of 1861. The dual commemoration, Greenhalge explained, celebrated "the anniversary of the birth of liberty and union". It is likely that the battles that took place in Menotomy are not as well known as the smaller battles in Lexington and Concord because the town has had several names since that day in 1775. In 1938, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill establishing the holiday "in commemoration of the opening events of the War of the Revolution".[3]
Maine followed Massachusetts in 1907 and replaced its Fast Day with Patriot's Day.[1]On June 10, 2017, GovernorDannel Malloy signed a bill establishing Patriots' Day as a statewide unpaid holiday in Connecticut,[4] and Connecticut became the fifth state to recognize the holiday on April 16, 2018.[5][6] On March 19, 2019, GovernorDoug Burgum signed a bill recognizing Patriots' Day in the state of North Dakota.[7] In 2025, two hundred and fifty years after the shot was fired, Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill recognizing Patriot's Day in Utah.[8]
The holiday was originally celebrated on April 19, the actual anniversary of the battles (fought in 1775). Since 1969, it has been observed on the third Monday in April inMassachusetts[9] and inMaine[10] (which until theMissouri Compromise of 1820 was part of Massachusetts). The Monday holiday creates a three-daylong weekend. It is also the first day of a vacation week for public schools in both states and a school holiday for many local colleges and universities, both public and private.[citation needed]
The day is apublic school observance day inWisconsin.[11][12]Florida law also encourages people to celebrate it, though it is not treated as a legal holiday.[13] Connecticut began observance in 2018 and North Dakota in 2019.[4][7] Utah recognized April 19th as Patriot's Day in 2025.[14]
Acton Minutemen and citizens marching from Acton to Concord on Patriots' Day 2012
Up to 60 events take place before and during the Patriots' Day weekend.[18] Battle re-enactments are held in several locations including Boston, Cambridge, Arlington, Medford, Lexington, Concord, and Lincoln, plus a few others.[18] Parades are held in Lexington, Concord, Boston, Bedford, and Arlington.[19][18] Other observances of the weekend include tours of historic houses and pancake breakfasts.[18]
The most significant celebration of Patriots' Day is theBoston Marathon, which has been run every Patriots' Day since April 19, 1897 (except in 2020 and 2021) to mark the then-recently established holiday, with the race linking theAthenian and American struggles for liberty.[3]
TheBoston Red Sox have been scheduled to play at home inFenway Park on Patriots' Day every year since 1959. The game was postponed due to weather in 1959, 1961, 1965, 1967, 1984, and 2018. It was canceled in 1995 due tothe baseball strike, and again in 2020 due toCOVID-19.[20] The game was played in2013 despite theBoston Marathon bombing because it had finished before the bombs went off.[21] From 1968 to 2006 the games started early, in the morning, around 11:00 am. The early start to these games usually resulted in the games' ending just as the runners headed throughKenmore Square. However, since 2007 the marathon has started between 9:30 am and 10:00 am, causing the racers to pass through Kenmore closer to the middle of the Red Sox game.[22]
