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Battle of Lexington: Boston Patriots Day Reenactment & Activities

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Dates:Saturday, April 15, 2023 - Monday, April 17, 2023
Hours:5:30am - 2pm
Ages:Kids, Teens, Adults
In/Outdoor:Outdoor
Cost:Free
Category:Special Events
battle of lexington boston patriots day reenactment  activities photoPatriot's Day is on Monday, April 17, 2023.

Watch as history unfolds the story of our nation's fight for freedom in Lexington! Celebrations are back to being in person this year, and the week will still be packed with live programming for the whole family.

8:15 AM
Patriots’ Day Ceremonies on the Battle Green
Massachusetts Ave. at Bedford St.
Free

9:00 AM
“First Shot!: The Day the Revolution Began”
Lexington Depot, 13 Depot Square

Enjoy a film screening of Lexington Historical Society’s award-winning video along with a special question and answer session with British and Colonial Reenactors and a sampling of Colonial Music.
Admission tickets available at the door. Suggested donation $10 adults/$5 children
Lexington Historical Society

10:00 AM
Lexington Lions Club 108th Annual Five-Mile Road Race.
Starting/ending on Massachusetts Ave. at the Battle Green
For more information, call 781-862-4710 or visit the Lexington Lions Club website.

10:00 AM
“First Shot!: The Day the Revolution Began”
Lexington Depot, 13 Depot Square

Enjoy a film screening of Lexington Historical Society’s award-winning video along with a special question and answer session with British and Colonial Reenactors and a sampling of Colonial Music.

Admission tickets available at the door. Suggested donation $10 adults/$5 children
Lexington Historical Society



10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Lexington Minute Men/Daughters of the American Revolution 112th Wreath Laying Ceremony
Lexington Battle Green, Massachusetts Ave. at Bedford St.
Free

11:00 AM
USS Lexington Memorial Ceremonies. Visitors Center,
1875 Massachusetts Avenue, adjacent to the Buckman Tavern
Lexington Lions Club
Free

11:00 AM
“First Shot!: The Day the Revolution Began”
Lexington Depot, 13 Depot Square

Enjoy a film screening of Lexington Historical Society’s award-winning video along with a special question and answer session with British and Colonial Reenactors and a sampling of Colonial Music.

Admission tickets available at the door. Suggested donation $10 adults/$5 children
Lexington Historical Society

12:30 PM
Parade Float Judging
Massachusetts Ave. in East Lexington, across from Sacred Heart Church.
Free

1:00 PM - Paul Revere Arrives at the Battle Green on Horseback
Greeted by the Select Board and the Lexington Minute Men.
Free

2:00 PM - Patriots Day Afternoon Parade
Starting at Massachusetts Ave. and Maple St. in East Lexington, proceeding west along Massachusetts Ave. through Lexington Center, left onto Worthen Rd., ending at the Town Pool parking lot. Free

BATTLE OF LEXINGTON DRESS REHEARSAL

Sunday, April 1, 2022
(rain date Sunday, April 2)
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Dress Rehearsal for the Reenactment of the Battle of Lexington
Massachusetts Ave at Bedford Street, at the Battle Green

The central event of Patriots’ Day weekend, the Lexington Minute Men have organized and sponsored the Reenactment since 1971 to recreate the birth of American Liberty on Lexington Common in 1775. “They nobly dared to be free!”

Monday, April 3 – Friday, April 21 | *Closed Patriots Day
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
On View: Original Alarm Letter That Spread the News of the Conflict in Lexington
Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library
33 Marrett Rd.

Couriers delivered the news of the conflict at Lexington soon after the event. Joseph Palmer, a member of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, sent the first urgent missive by messenger Israel or Isaac Bissell in the late morning of April 19, 1775.

Bissell rode to Connecticut and perhaps further. Recipients duplicated Palmer’s letter several times to carry the news far and wide.

SATURDAY, APRIL 15
8:30 AM
Parker’s Revenge - Free

Lexington Minute Men gather on the Battle Green to reenact the second call to arms from Captain John Parker, which took place on the afternoon of April 19, with additional dialogue from Rev. Jonas Clarke.

Following this event, the Minute Men march up Massachusetts Ave to Fiske Hill before continuing on to the Parker’s Revenge site in the Minute Man National Park for a skirmish reenactment.

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Visit the New Lexington Visitors Center
1875 Massachusetts Ave., next to Buckman Tavern.
781-862-1450.
Public restrooms available. Visitors Center is free

View our famed diorama depicting the Battle of Lexington and shop for unique Lexington gift items. Purchase tickets here for a 90 minute Liberty Ride Guided Trolley Tour or a 1 hour Battle Green Walking Tour. Walk-ins also welcome space permitting.Tours can also be booked online.


9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Buckman Tavern Tours
1 Bedford St.
Self-paced audio tours available.
Admission tickets available at the house.
Single house $12 adults/$7 children
3 houses $25 adults/$13 children (Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House & Munroe Tavern)

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Hancock-Clarke House Tours
36 Hancock St.
Guided tours available every half hour
Admission tickets available at the house
Single house $12 adults/$7 children
3 houses $25 adults/$13 children (Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House & Munroe Tavern)
National Park Service - Free

10:30 AM
Parker’s Revenge Wreath Laying Ceremony
On the Battle Road near the Minute Man National Park Visitor Center, Route 2A, Lexington

Lexington Minute Men lay a wreath at the site of the Parker’s Revenge skirmish, which occurred in the afternoon of April 19 when the Lexington Militia Company under Capt. John Parker ambushed the retreating Redcoats near the Lexington-Lincoln town line.

12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Munroe Tavern Tours
1332 Massachusetts Ave.

Self guided tours available
Admission tickets available at the house
Single house $12 adults/$7 children
3 houses $25 adults/$13 children (Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House & Munroe Tavern)

1:00 PM
Parker’s Revenge Reenactment
On the Battle Road near the intersection of Old Massachusetts Ave. and Route 2A

Lexington Minute Men reenact the Parker’s Revenge engagement

1:00 PM
Lexington Bicentennial Band Concert
Lexington High School Auditorium
251 Waltham St

A tribute/remembrance of the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, which was originally planned for Patriots’ Day 2020, will include a collection of memorable music of the time and more. The Greatest Generation will be narrated by Suzie Barry, Select Board Member.

Free, donations accepted

2:30 PM
Fife and Drum Performance Featuring Lexington’s own William Diamond Fife and Drum Corps
Tower Park, Massachusetts Ave. across from Pelham Rd.
Free

4:00 PM
Battle at Tower Park

Tower Park, Massachusetts Ave. across from Pelham Rd. Follow the British retreat as they fight the Colonial Militia, featuring a working reproduction cannon.
Organized by the Lexington Minute Men
Free

SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 2023

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Visit the New Lexington Visitors Center
1875 Massachusetts Ave., next to Buckman Tavern.
781-862-1450.
Public restrooms available.

View our famed diorama depicting the Battle of Lexington and shop for unique Lexington gift items. Purchase tickets here for a 90 minute Liberty Ride Guided Trolley Tour or a 1 hour Battle Green Walking Tour. Walk-ins also welcome space permitting. Tours can also be booked online. Visitors Center is free

9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Buckman Tavern Tours
1 Bedford St.
Self-paced audio tours available.
Admission tickets available at the house.
Single house $12 adults/$7 children
3 houses $25 adults/$13 children (Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House & Munroe Tavern)

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Hancock-Clarke House Tours
36 Hancock St.
Guided tours available every half hour
Admission tickets available at the house
Single house $12 adults/$7 children
3 houses $25 adults/$13 children (Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House & Munroe Tavern)

12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Munroe Tavern Tours
1332 Massachusetts Ave.
Self guided tours available
Admission tickets available at the house
Single house $12 adults/$7 children
3 houses $25 adults/$13 children (Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House & Munroe Tavern)

11:30 PM
Paul Revere Ride Reenactment
Hancock-Clarke House, 36 Hancock St.
Lexington Historical Society
Free
A reenactment of the arrival of Paul Revere at the Hancock-Clarke House

MONDAY, APRIL 17

5:30 AM
“The Alarm” at the Old Belfry
Belfry Hill, Massachusetts Ave. at Clarke St., across from the Battle Green
Come ring the bell that sounded the alarm that the Redcoats were coming.
Free

5:30 AM
(rain date Saturday, April 23, 5:30 AM)
Reenactment of the Battle of Lexington
Lexington Battle Green
Massachusetts Ave. at Bedford S.t

The central event of Patriots’ Day weekend, the Lexington Minute Men have organized and sponsored the Reenactment since 1971 to recreate the birth of American Liberty on Lexington Common in 1775. “They nobly dared to be free!”
Free

6:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Visit the New Lexington Visitors Center
1875 Massachusetts Ave., next to Buckman Tavern.
781-862-1450.
Public restrooms available.
Visitors Center is free

View our famed diorama depicting the Battle of Lexington and shop for unique Lexington gift items.
Purchase tickets here for a 1 hour Battle Green Walking Tour. Walk-ins also welcome space permitting. Tours can also be booked online. Ninety minute Liberty Ride Guided Trolley Tours may also be available - please check back.


6:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Buckman Tavern Walk Through Tours
1 Bedford St.
Walk through the rooms of the historic tavern (interpreters present).
Admission tickets available at the house. Suggested donation $5
Lexington Historical Society

6:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Pancake Breakfasts
First Baptist Church of Lexington
1580 Massachusetts Ave. (across from Police Station)
Boy Scout Troop 160
St. Brigid Church
2001 Massachusetts Ave.
(just past the Battle Green, going away from Lexington Center)
Purchase tickets at door.

7:30 AM
Sunrise Youth Parade
Starting at Munroe Cemetery driveway, proceeding west along Massachusetts Ave. through Lexington Center onto the Battle Green.

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Buckman Tavern Tours
1 Bedford St.
Self-paced audio tours available.
Admission tickets available at the house.
Single house $12 adults/$7 children
3 houses $25 adults/$13 children (Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House & Munroe Tavern)

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Hancock-Clarke House Tours
36 Hancock St.

Guided tours available every half hour
Admission tickets available at the house
Single house $12 adults/$7 children
3 houses $25 adults/$13 children (Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House & Munroe Tavern)
Lexington Historical Society

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Munroe Tavern Tours
1332 Massachusetts Ave.
Self guided tours available
Admission tickets available at the house
Single house $12 adults/$7 children
3 houses $25 adults/$13 children (Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House & Munroe Tavern)
Lexington Historical Society

8:15 AM
Patriots’ Day Ceremonies on the Battle Green
Massachusetts Ave. at Bedford St.
Free

9:00 AM
“First Shot!: The Day the Revolution Began”
Lexington Depot, 13 Depot Square
Enjoy a film screening of Lexington Historical Society’s award-winning video along with a special question and answer session with British and Colonial Reenactors and a sampling of Colonial Music.

Admission tickets available at the door. Suggested donation $10 adults/$5 children
Lexington Historical Society

10:00 AM
Lexington Lions Club 108th Annual Five-Mile Road Race.
Starting/ending on Massachusetts Ave. at the Battle Green
For more information, call 781-862-4710 or visit the Lexington Lions Club website.

10:00 AM
“First Shot!: The Day the Revolution Began”
Lexington Depot, 13 Depot Square

Enjoy a film screening of Lexington Historical Society’s award-winning video along with a special question and answer session with British and Colonial Reenactors and a sampling of Colonial Music.

Admission tickets available at the door. Suggested donation $10 adults/$5 children
Lexington Historical Society

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Lexington Minute Men/Daughters of the American Revolution 112th Wreath Laying Ceremony
Lexington Battle Green, Massachusetts Ave. at Bedford St.

The LMM and DAR lay wreaths at several of the war monuments around the Battle Green, including the Revolutionary Monument where the Lexington soldiers killed on April 19, 1775 are buried.
Free

11:00 AM
USS Lexington Memorial Ceremonies. Visitors Center,
1875 Massachusetts Avenue, adjacent to the Buckman Tavern
Lexington Lions Club
Free

11:00 AM
“First Shot!: The Day the Revolution Began”
Lexington Depot, 13 Depot Square

Enjoy a film screening of Lexington Historical Society’s award-winning video along with a special question and answer session with British and Colonial Reenactors and a sampling of Colonial Music.

Admission tickets available at the door. Suggested donation $10 adults/$5 children
Lexington Historical Society

12:30 PM
Parade Float Judging
Massachusetts Ave. in East Lexington, across from Sacred Heart Church.
Free

1:00 PM
Paul Revere Arrives at the Battle Green on Horseback
Greeted by the Select Board and the Lexington Minute Men.
Free

2:00 PM
Patriots Day Afternoon Parade
Starting at Massachusetts Ave. and Maple St. in East Lexington, proceeding west along Massachusetts Ave. through Lexington Center, left onto Worthen Rd., ending at the Town Pool parking lot.

For More Information
Town Celebrations Committee, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02420
Recorded Information Line: 781-862-0500 x704
www.patriotsday.com

*Schedule subject to change*

About Patriot's Day
Every April on the third Monday of the month, the Battle of Lexington is commemorated and a moving tribute is paid to those patriots who first fell on Lexington Green on the morning of April 19, 1775. A full range of activities is planned that include historical reenactments, parades, pancake breakfasts, and a road race.

Beginning just before midnight Sunday night, the drama begins with the arrival of Paul Revere on horseback to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British Regulars have left Boston and are on their way towards Lexington and Concord.

The highlight is the reenactment of the Battle of Lexington, performed by members of the Lexington MinuteMen Company and His Majesty's Tenth Regiment of Foot. Staged annually at 5:45 A.M. every April on the third Monday of the month, the event evokes the revolutionary spirit that signaled the start of the American Revolution.

Visitors are encouraged to arrive early at all events for best viewing. Be part of the story through the reenactment of Paul Revere's ride, followed by day-long events.

Find more Patriots Day events going on near Boston in our guide to things to do on Patriots Day, as well as our overview on other exciting Boston April Events.

WEBSITE↑ top

www.lexingtonma.gov/patriots-day-lexington/pages/2022-schedule-events

LOCATION↑ top

Lexington Green, Lexington, MA map

TIPS↑ top

  • - No backpacks or large containers where possible

  • - Use clear or mesh bags to carry personal items

  • - Do Not leave bags or containers unattended

  • - Items left unattended will be removed from public areas by police

  • - No Ladders, stepstools or large scaffolding
REVIEWS↑ top

5-starBritish 273 Lexington 0 worse than Redsox
I keep telling myself this is the year the Minutemen take the whole thing and every year the Brits chase us out to Concord and I lose $100. We need new management. Captain Parker is overrated.
1-starBattle Of Lexington - Patriots' Day Reenactment
My daughter and I were finally going to have a view of the battle this year! We were to the left of the statue, about the third row of people from the ropes and could see the green in between other peoples' heads. The militia men were on the field and the redcoats had just positioned themselves, when, just before the first shot, a crowd of people to the right of the statue ran onto the green, escorted by 3 or 4 police officers, and totally obscured our view! I don't know if they were Lexington police or who the people were but when the battle was over, these officers told the angry crowd it was over and to move along. How disappointing!!

RELATED LINKS↑ top

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