Patriots ' Day Patriots ' Day ( officially Patriots ' Day in Massachusetts and Wisconsin and Patriot ' s Day in Maine ) is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19 , 1775 . These were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War . It is observed on the third Monday in April in Massachusetts and Maine ( once part of Massachusetts ) , and is a public school observance day in Wisconsin . Florida law also encourages people to celebrate it , though it is not treated as a public holiday . Observances and re - enactments of these first battles of the American Revolution occur annually at Lexington Green in Lexington , Massachusetts , ( around 6 : 00 am ) and The Old North Bridge in Concord , Massachusetts , ( around 9 : 00 am ) . In the morning , mounted re - enactors with state police escorts retrace the rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes , calling out warnings the whole way . Since 1969 , the holiday has been observed on the third Monday in April , providing a three - day long weekend , as well as being the first day of public school vacation week in Maine and Massachusetts . Previously , it had been designated as April 19 , the actual anniversary of the battles . Patriots ' Day is also a school holiday for many local colleges and universities , both public and private . In Maine and Massachusetts , when Patriots ' Day falls on a day where income tax returns would otherwise be due for the remainder of the country , residents of those states are given until midnight of the next day ( Tuesday ) to submit their state tax returns . Federal income tax returns are still due on the same date as the rest of the country . History . Patriots ' Day was first proclaimed in Massachusetts in 1894 by Gov . Frederic T . Greenhalge , replacing Fast Day as the public holiday in April on the civic calendar . It was established on April 19 , commemorating the date of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 , and consolidating the longstanding municipal observances of Lexington Day and Concord Day . It also marked the first bloodshed of the American Civil War in the Baltimore riot of 1861 , during which four members of the Massachusetts militia were slain and 36 injured . The dual commemoration , Greenhalge explained , celebrated " the anniversary of the birth of liberty and union . " In 1938 , with the generation that had fought in the Civil War largely off the voter rolls , the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill establishing the holiday " in commemoration of the opening events of the War of the Revolution . " Sporting events . The Boston Marathon is run on Patriots ' Day every year , so the holiday is referred to as " Marathon Monday " by many Bostonians . The Boston Red Sox have been scheduled to play at home in Fenway Park on Patriots ' Day every year since 1959 . The games were postponed due to weather in 1959 , 1961 , 1965 , 1967 , and 1984 , and canceled in 1995 because of the late start to the season . Since 1968 the games have started early , in the morning , around 11 : 00 am . The early start to these games usually resulted in the game ending just as the marathon is heading through Kenmore Square . However , since 2007 the marathon has started between 9 : 30 am and 10 : 00 am , resulting in the racers going through Kenmore towards the middle of the Red Sox game .