In 2025, Patriots' Day in Massachusetts will be observed on Monday, April 21. The holiday is legally mandated to be celebrated on the third Monday in April each year. This floating date ensures the creation of a three-day weekend for state and municipal workers, as well as for public schools.
Patriots' Day is a state holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, which took place on April 19, 1775. Initially observed on the fixed date of April 19, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts changed the observance to the third Monday of the month in 1969. This change aligns it with the federal Uniform Monday Holiday Act, although Patriots' Day itself remains a state-level, not a federal, holiday. It is officially recognized in Massachusetts and Maine, and observed publicly in Wisconsin.
The practical application of this date is significant, as Patriots' Day is the traditional date for the running of the Boston Marathon. Therefore, the 129th Boston Marathon is scheduled to be held on April 21, 2025. The day is also marked by historical reenactments of the battles in Lexington and Concord, and it typically coincides with the beginning of a one-week spring vacation for public schools throughout the state.
