The proper noun "Patriots' Day" designates a civic holiday observed on the third Monday of April in the states of Massachusetts and Maine. In Wisconsin, it is observed as a public school holiday on April 19. The date is a floating observance tied to a specific day of the week rather than a fixed calendar date.
Historically, the holiday was first proclaimed in Massachusetts in 1894 to be observed on April 19, the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, which were the first armed conflicts of the American Revolutionary War. In 1969, as part of a legislative trend to create three-day weekends, Massachusetts moved the observance to the third Monday in April. This shift from a specific date to a Monday observance aligns with the principles of the federal Uniform Monday Holiday Act, although Patriots' Day itself remains a state-level holiday.
The practical application of this floating date is most prominently seen in the scheduling of major civic events, particularly the Boston Marathon, which has been held on Patriots' Day every year since 1897. Because it is a state holiday, state, county, and municipal offices are closed in Massachusetts and Maine, but federal government offices and private businesses may remain open. The distinction in observance, a full legal holiday in some states and a school-only observance in another, highlights its regional rather than national significance.
