Patriots Day is a state holiday observed on the third Monday in April. It is officially celebrated in Massachusetts and Maine, and it is also recognized as a public school observance day in Wisconsin. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolutionary War.
The date is historically linked to April 19, 1775, the day the Battles of Lexington and Concord took place. For many years, the holiday was observed on the fixed date of April 19. However, in 1969, Massachusetts shifted the observance to the third Monday of the month to create a three-day weekend. Maine, which shares a significant portion of its history with Massachusetts, follows the same Monday observance schedule.
In practice, the third Monday in April is notable for hosting major civic and sporting events, most famously the Boston Marathon, which has been held on the holiday since 1897. Therefore, while the historical events occurred on a fixed date, the modern legal and cultural observance of Patriots Day is consistently scheduled for the third Monday of April.
