Patriots' Day (sometimes spelled Patriot's Day or Patriots Day) is a civic holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts[1] and state of Maine[2] (once part of Massachusetts), and a public school observance day in Wisconsin[3]. Traditionally it was designated as April 19 in observance of the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. Since 1969, however, the holiday has been observed on the third Monday in April, providing a three-day long weekend. Observances and re-enactments of these first battles of the American Revolution occur annually at Lexington Green in Lexington, MA, (around 6am) and The Old North Bridge in Concord, MA (around 9am).
The Boston Marathon is run on this day every year. Also, the Boston Red Sox have traditionally played a home game at Fenway Park on this date every year since 1960, and organized the starting time of the game to coincide with the marathon, so that people leaving the game would be able to head into Kenmore Square and cheer on the runners heading through the area.
It is also a school holiday for many local colleges and universities, both public and private.
Occasionally Tax Day falls on this day or the preceding weekend, causing the tax deadline to be extended by a day for the residents of Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. This is because the IRS processing center for these areas is located in Andover, Massachusetts[4]. In 2007, this extension was granted to the entire country because the District of Columbia holiday, Emancipation Day, coincidentally fell on the same day.[5] In addition to these extensions, in 2007 due to a nor'easter (which also forced the first-ever cancellation of the annual 6 a.m. battle re-enactment on Lexington Green), certain states were granted an additional two days for taxes, bringing the deadline to April 19. Those who filed under this extension had to write "April 16 Storm" on the return.[6]
