Patriots' Day is a state holiday observed annually on the third Monday in April. It is an official public holiday in Massachusetts and Maine, and is also recognized as a public school observance day in Wisconsin. 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.
The date of observance was not always a floating Monday. Originally, Patriots' Day was celebrated on the fixed date of April 19th. In 1969, Massachusetts state law changed the observance to the third Monday of the month, aligning it with the federal Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create a three-day weekend. While Maine has celebrated the holiday since 1907, it also follows the third-Monday-in-April rule. The day is famously associated with the running of the Boston Marathon, which has been held on Patriots' Day since 1897.
Therefore, while the specific calendar date for Patriots' Day changes each year, its position as the third Monday in April remains constant in the jurisdictions where it is officially observed. This scheduling distinguishes the civic observance from the fixed historical anniversary of the battles, which remains April 19th. The holiday's regional nature and its connection to a major sporting event underscore its unique cultural significance in New England.
