Patriots' Day is a state holiday observed on the third Monday in April in Massachusetts, Maine, and Wisconsin. It commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first armed conflicts of the American Revolutionary War.
The specific date of the battles was April 19, 1775. For many years, the holiday was officially observed on this fixed date. However, in 1969, Massachusetts enacted a law to move the observance to the third Monday in April, aligning with a broader trend of shifting public holidays to create three-day weekends. Maine, which was part of Massachusetts until 1820, also observes the holiday on the same Monday.
While the holiday is a significant regional commemoration, it is not a federal holiday, and its observance is limited to a few states. The most widely recognized event held on this day is the Boston Marathon, which has been traditionally run on Patriots' Day since 1897, drawing international attention to this local civic holiday.
