Patriots' Day 2017. The 242nd Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Captain David Brown's Company of Minute Men, North Bridge, Concord, Minute Man NHP
Each year in mid-April, thousands of people flock to historic Lexington and Concord and Minute Man National Historical Park to celebrate Patriots' Day. Patriots' Day is a special Massachusetts State holiday commemorating the opening battle of the American Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775.
The holiday (Officially observed on Monday, April 17, 2017), and the entire weekend, is celebrated with parades, reenactments and commemorative ceremonies.
Press and Media Inquiries, please contact Phil Lupsiewicz at (978)-318-7833 or e-mail us
Meriam's Corner Exercise
Saturday, April 8th
Bedford Pole Capping
Wilson Park, Bedford
10:30 a.m.
This ceremony features a march, displays of musketry, and fife and drum music. The main event is the raising of a tall wooden pole, which is climbed by a Bedford Minuteman and affixed with a red knitted cap.
Meriam’s Corner Exercise
737 Lexington Rd, Concord
1:00 p.m.
Minute companies, fife and drum, and the Concord Independent Battery commemorate the fight at Meriam’s Corner. There will be musket and cannon firing and fife and drum music.
Paul Revere Capture Ceremony
200 North Great Rd, Lincoln
3:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Minute Men observe the historic capture of Paul Revere with a dramatic re-telling of Longfellow's famous poem, fife and drum music and a musket fire salute.
Tough Ruck
Saturday, April 15th
Junior Ranger Day
North Bridge Visitor Center and Minute Man Visitor Center
9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Pick up a Junior Ranger Booklet and earn your badge! Swearing in will be held at Minute Man Visitor Center at 11:30 a.m., 3:15 and 4:15 p.m.
Visitor Center Hours:
North Bridge Visitor Center: 8:00 am - 5:00
Minute Man Visitor Center: 9:00 am - 5:00
Tough Ruck
Step off at The Old Manse field, adjacent to North Bridge
7:00 A.M.
Come out and support hundreds of military participants march 26.2 miles on Battle Road Trail in memory of our fallen soldiers.
Captain David Brown's Company
April 15th continued
Armed as According to Law: Captain David Brown's Minute Company
North Bridge, Concord
7:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
See what a fully armed and equipped minute company looked like in 1775. Captain David Brown's Minute Company is a group of experienced reenactors and historians who have meticulously researched the clothing, arms and equipment of Massachusetts militia and minute men in 1775. The group will perform drill and musket firing demonstrations.
Try On 1775!
April 15th continued
Life on the Battle Road
Hartwell Tavern and Captain William Smith House
Hartwell Tavern open 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Smith House open 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Park staff and living history volunteers will demonstrate various aspects of colonial life.
Explore Bloody Angle with Edmund Foster
Meet at Hartwell Tavern
10:30 a.m.
Edmund Foster, a volunteer from Reading Massachusetts (Portrayed by Park Volunteer,
Ed Hurley), will lead a tour to this key battle site where he fought in 1775.
Try On 1775
Whittemore House, Lexington
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Visit the Whittemore House (just behind Minute Man Visitor Center). Try hands-on exhibits and colonial clothing 1775.
Battle Road / Parker's Revenge
April 15th continued
Battle Road Demonstration: “Parker’s Revenge”
Battle Road Trail behind Minute Man Visitor Center, Lexington
2:00 p.m.
This event will feature hundreds of reenactors, musket firing and fast-paced battle
action along a hotly-contested stretch of the actual Battle Road of 1775.
Ample parking is available at Minuteman Regional High School, 758 Marrett Road, Lexington MA
Warlike Preparations, Colonel James Barrett House
Sunday, April 16th
Warlike Preparations at the Colonel James Barrett House
455 Barrett’s Mill Road, Concord
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Visit the Barrett house and learn about Colonial military preparations in 1774 and 1775. Help colonial patriots make musket cartridges and try marching like a minute man.
Revolutionary Dogs: Paws for the Cause
Minute Man Visitor Center
2:00 p.m.
Take a 45 minute ranger- guided walk and learn about dogs in Colonial America.
Visitor Center Hours:
North Bridge Visitor Center: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Minute Man Visitor Center: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Commemoration of the North Bridge Fight
Monday, April 17th (Patriot's Day observed)
Lexington Battle Reenactment
Lexington Green, Lexington
5:30 a.m.
British and Colonial reenactors stage a reenactment of the early-morning battle.
Commemoration of the North Bridge Fight / Concord Parade
North Bridge, Concord
8:45 a.m.
British and Colonial reenactors will commemorate the “Shot heard round the world” with a battle demonstration. Immediately following, the Concord Patriot's Day parade will arrive around 9:30 a.m. NOTE: all of the roads in the center of town are closed to vehicles beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Visitor Center Hours:
North Bridge Visitor Center: 7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Minute Man Visitor Center: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Minute Man Statue/NPS
Tuesday, April 18th
*NEW THIS YEAR* Patriot Vigil
North Bridge
Lantern light procession: 7:50 p.m. (step off at North Bridge Visitor Center)
Ceremony at North Bridge: 8:00 – 8:45 p.m.
As darkness descends upon the North Bridge battlefield we invite you to come and reflect on the events of April 19, 1775 and the meaning of liberty. The evening ceremony will feature a lantern-light procession, poetry, music, and a recitation of the names of the soldiers who gave their lives on that “ever-memorable” 19th of April. Please note, if you would like to participate in the procession at 7:50 p.m. we ask you bring your own enclosed candle lantern - no flashlights in the procession please.
Visitor Center Hours:
North Bridge Visitor Center: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Minute Man Visitor Center: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Dawn Salute
Wednesday, April 19th
Dawn Salute
North Bridge, Concord
6:00 a.m
The Concord Minute Men and the Concord Independent Battery observe the
opening battle of the Revolution in a 21 gun salute with musket and cannon fire.
Visitor Center Hours:
North Bridge Visitor Center: 5:30 am - 5:00 pm
Minute Man Visitor Center: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
*NEW THIS YEAR* Remembering the Ladies
North Bridge, Concord
10:00 a.m.
On April 19, 1775, when many men had gone in response to the alarm, women in some communities armed themselves and provided local security in the midst of the crisis. In commemoration of these brave Daughters of Liberty, the Molly Cutthroats, a living history group dedicated to the role of women in the Revolution, will fire a ceremonial volley of musketry from North Bridge.
Arrival of the Sudbury Militia
North Bridge, Concord
11:30 a.m. (approximately)
The Sudbury Companies of Militia and Minute will make their annual march to
North Bridge from the Town of Sudbury. They will fire three musket volleys off North Bridge as a soldierly salute.
*NEW THIS YEAR* Sons of the American Revolution, Henry Knox Color Guard
North Bridge, Concord
12:30 p.m. (approximately)
The Henry Knox Color Guard will fire three volleys from North Bridge in honor of our Revolutionary Forbearers.
Battle Road Heroes
Saturday, April 22nd
Battle Road Heroes Hartwell Tavern, Lincoln
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Tours leave every 15 minutes
Join the Guild of Historic Interpreters for a special evening of theater and history. Appropriate for ages 8 and up. Admission: $5.00 per person, $10.00 per family.
