The proper noun "Patriots' Day" identifies a public holiday observed annually on the third Monday in April. This date is not fixed but is determined by this specific day-of-the-week rule. It is an official state holiday in Massachusetts, Maine, and Connecticut, and is recognized as a public school observance day in Wisconsin.
The timing of the holiday is historically significant, as it commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first armed conflicts of the American Revolutionary War, which took place on April 19, 1775. The holiday was originally observed on the fixed date of April 19. In 1969, Massachusetts and Maine shifted the observance to the third Monday in April to create a three-day weekend, aligning with the trend established by the federal Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
The practical application of this floating date is most prominently seen in the scheduling of the Boston Marathon, which has been held on Patriots' Day since 1897. The holiday also frames other civic and cultural events, including historical reenactments of the 1775 battles in Lexington and Concord and a traditional morning Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park, integrating major sporting and historical commemorations into the public holiday.
