Patriot Day is observed annually on September 11. Unlike holidays that fall on a particular Monday of a month, this day of remembrance is fixed to the specific date of the attacks it commemorates.
This observance was established to honor the memory of the 2,977 people killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It is officially designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. It is important to distinguish Patriot Day (September 11) from Patriots' Day, a regional public holiday in Massachusetts and Maine that commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord and is observed on the third Monday in April.
While Patriot Day is a national observance, it is not a federal holiday, meaning businesses and schools generally remain open. Common observances include a nationwide moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the time the first plane struck the World Trade Center. Additionally, the President directs that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff at all U.S. government buildings and establishments, both at home and abroad.
