Patriots' Day in Boston with Kids
Patriots' Day is two different days sharing a date. One is the Boston Marathon, magnificent to witness and a bad idea with a pushchair. The other is twenty-two miles west, where Lexington and Concord re-enact the morning the shooting started and the National Park Service charges nothing. The next one is Monday, April 19, 2027.
Season: April · Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
- Patriots' Day 2027: Monday, April 19, 2027 — the third Monday in April, a Massachusetts state holiday
- Boston Marathon: The 131st runs the same day, “Apr 19th, 2027”. Qualifier registration has closed
- Minute Man NHP: “No entrance pass required.” 174 Liberty Street, Concord — “22 miles outside of Boston”
- What happened here: The park marks “the opening battles of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775”
- Paul Revere House: Hands-on demonstrations year-round — woodworking, stone carving, a costumed militia company
The date, and the week around it
Patriots' Day is the third Monday in April, so it moves, while the anniversary it marks does not. In 2027 the two coincide on April 19, the 252nd anniversary, which makes that year's commemorations worth planning around rather than stumbling into.
- Massachusetts schools are out for the whole of April vacation week
- Museums run at capacity Tuesday to Friday after the holiday — the busiest family week of the Boston spring
- The weekend before Patriots' Day is the quiet one
- The ICA closes on Patriots' Day itself, so it is not that Monday's rainy-day backup
The marathon with a small child
The finish on Boylston Street is the worst place to take anyone under about eight: the crowd is deep and immobile for hours. The suburban miles are the family version of the same day.
- The route runs in from Hopkinton through the western towns, where the crowd is one or two deep
- Out there you can see runners for more than a second, and a four-year-old can go home without a forty-minute extraction
- Pick a town on the course and treat it as the street party it is
- The T is the only sane way in and out of the finish
- Start times and road closures go up on baa.org a few weeks before the day
Lexington and Concord: the free half of the holiday
Minute Man National Historical Park runs through Lexington, Lincoln and Concord, and it costs nothing: “An entrance pass is not required.” Both towns re-enact the fighting at dawn on the holiday itself.
Minute Man National Historical Park — Lexington, Lincoln and ConcordVisit official site →
The ground where the opening battles of the American Revolution were fought — standing on it does more for a child's grasp of the story than any exhibit will.
Tickets
Free — no entrance pass, no booking, no fee
Know before you go
- The park puts itself “22 miles outside of Boston” — about forty minutes by car without holiday traffic
- Visitor-centre hours and the Patriots' Day program go up on nps.gov/mima
- Headquarters phone: 978-369-6993
Who it's for
Families who want the holiday's meaning without the marathon's crowd
Skip if
You have no car — this is a drive out of the city
The dawn re-enactments — Lexington and Concord
Both towns stage the morning of the fighting where it happened, outdoors and in the dark.
Dates
- Before sunrise on the holiday — schedules post in March, on the towns' sites and nps.gov/mima
Who it's for
Older children who will get out of bed for it
Skip if
A pre-dawn April start in Massachusetts is not a plan your children will forgive
The Boston version, for a family without a car
You do not have to leave the city to make the day mean something. The Freedom Trail is free, walkable and runs past most of the relevant addresses.
Paul Revere House — North End, Boston
The man's actual house, the oldest building in downtown Boston, running hands-on programming all year rather than only in April.
Know before you go
- Woodworking, stone carving and paper marbling demonstrations, with a costumed militia company on the doorstep
- Admission and opening hours are on paulreverehouse.org
Who it's for
Six and up, and anyone doing the Revolution on foot
USS Constitution — Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston
A ship from the war that followed the morning this holiday is about, and one a child can walk the deck of.
Dates
- Tuesday to Sunday
Tickets
Free to board
Who it's for
School-age kids, across the water and an easy pairing with lunch in the North End
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FAQ
When is Patriots' Day 2027?
Monday, April 19, 2027 — the third Monday in April and a Massachusetts state holiday. That year it falls on the actual anniversary of the fighting at Lexington and Concord in 1775, and the Boston Marathon is the same day.
Should we take young kids to watch the Boston Marathon?
Not at the finish line — the Boylston Street crowd is deep, static and hours long. The suburban miles along the course are the family version: a thinner crowd, a longer view of the runners and an easy exit.
Is Minute Man National Historical Park free?
Yes. Its own fees page says an entrance pass is not required. Headquarters are at 174 Liberty Street, Concord, roughly 22 miles outside Boston. Visitor-centre hours and the Patriots' Day program go up on nps.gov/mima, usually in March.
What can we do for Patriots' Day inside Boston?
Walk the Freedom Trail, visit the Paul Revere House in the North End, which runs demonstrations year-round, and board USS Constitution in Charlestown, free Tuesday to Sunday. The ICA closes on Patriots' Day, so it is not that Monday's fallback.