Patriots' Day is not a federal holiday in the United States. The term "Patriots' Day" is a proper noun, and its classification as a holiday is the central point of inquiry. Its official status is limited to specific state jurisdictions rather than the nation as a whole.
It is an official state holiday observed on the third Monday of April in Massachusetts and Maine. Connecticut and Wisconsin also mark the day with official observances, though it is not a public holiday in the same manner. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775. A federal holiday, by contrast, is one designated by the U.S. Congress and applies to all federal employees and institutions across the country. State holidays are established by individual state legislatures and are only legally binding within that state's borders.
The practical implication of this distinction is that federal offices, such as U.S. post offices and federal courts, remain open on Patriots' Day, even within the states that observe it. In contrast, state and municipal government offices, public schools, and some private businesses in Massachusetts and Maine are typically closed. The holiday's significance is primarily regional, famously associated with events like the Boston Marathon, which reinforces its status as a major local observance rather than a national one.
