What is the Boston Marathon’s traditional race-day holiday in Massachusetts?

The Boston Marathon’s traditional race-day holiday in Massachusetts is Patriots’ Day.

Patriots’ Day is observed on the third Monday of April and commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord, the opening military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The Boston Marathon has traditionally been held on that Monday since its early years, linking the race to a major New England civic holiday.

The holiday’s spelling varies by jurisdiction: Massachusetts commonly uses “Patriots’ Day,” while Maine uses “Patriot’s Day.” In marathon references, the plural form is standard for the Massachusetts event. The race is therefore often described as taking place on “Marathon Monday.”

The date can shift from year to year because it is tied to the third Monday in April rather than a fixed calendar date. This is different from Memorial Day, which honors U.S. military personnel who died in service and occurs in May.