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Time Out
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Time Out
The Patriots Day Parade
With this year's Patriots Day commemorating a doozy of an anniversary (it's the 250th of the Battles of Lexington and Concord to start the American Revolutionary War), locals and visitors alike await the annual Patriots Day Parade. Beginning at 9am on April 21 at City Hall Plaza and ending at about noon in the North End, the Marching units and dignitaries will travel from City Hall to Old Granary Burial Ground to follow a route that ends at the Paul Revere Mall. The parade concludes with a reenactment by the National Lancers of Paul Revere's famous midnight ride on the Paul Revere Mall in front of Old North Church and Historic Site. A brief speaking program will take place at Paul Revere Mall followed by the handing of the scrolls to 'Paul Revere' who will embark on the legendary ride of 1775.
Fox News
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
‘One if by Land': White House, Boston celebrates 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's midnight ride
It's been 250 years since Paul Revere rode into the night — and now, the Trump administration is riding high on history. On Friday, the White House released a presidential statement commemorating Revere's ride, calling the silversmith a patriot whose "bold act of defiance set in motion a war of independence that changed the course of history." The White House also posted a video tribute titled "The Ride That Roused a Nation," offering a cinematic retelling of the 1775 event. Meanwhile, in Boston, Massachusetts, where it all began, the anniversary was marked Friday with a reenactment of Revere's historic ride. Actor Michael Lepage portrayed Revere, walking from the Paul Revere House to the Old North Church, where two lanterns were lit to signal the British advance. After crossing the Charles River, First Sgt. Matthew Johnson of the National Lancers took up the ride on horseback, continuing the journey to Lexington. Revere's mission began late on the night of April 18, 1775, when two lanterns lit in Boston's Old North Church signaled that British troops were crossing the Charles River by sea. Revere mounted a borrowed horse and rode into the countryside to alert colonial militias and warn patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington. Although he was stopped by British patrols before reaching Concord, his message had already been passed along by fellow riders William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott. Thanks to their warning, militia forces were ready when the first shots of the American Revolution rang out the next morning on Lexington Green. The presidential statement highlighted these facts while paying tribute to Revere as "a master craftsman, a husband, a father, and a proud son of liberty." It also quoted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous 1860 poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," which turned the midnight journey into a national legend. While the actual ride was part of a larger effort involving multiple messengers, Longfellow's verse — "a cry of defiance, and not of fear" — helped enshrine Revere's name in American memory, where it remains to this day. The video released by Trump's team underscored that legacy with dramatic narration, archival imagery, and references to key sites like Old North Church and North Bridge in Concord. "In the dead of night, a silversmith became a signal. A signal became a movement. And that movement became America," the voiceover declares, in the first of many patriotic events planned as part of the administration's "Salute to America 250" initiative. That effort, launched ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, includes coordinated federal, state, and local commemorations aimed at spotlighting major moments in early American history. Friday's Revere tribute serves as an unofficial kickoff, tying 1775 to 2025. Previous presidents have also marked Revolutionary milestones. Gerald Ford launched the nation's Bicentennial by lighting a lantern at Old North Church in 1975, symbolically extending Revere's message into the country's third century. In 2001, George W. Bush commemorated the 225th anniversary of independence with a speech in Philadelphia focused on the founding ideals of liberty and equality. The Trump administration's message follows in that tradition, while also preparing for what's expected to be a high-profile semiquincentennial year.
Axios
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Lexington and Concord's 250th: How to commemorate the battles
Expect heavy traffic in Boston and the surrounding suburbs between those in town for the Boston Marathon and the 250th anniversary attendees. Look out for several road closures starting 8pm Friday in Lexington, as well as additional road closures starting 12pm Saturday until 6pm Saturday. Thursday, April 17 Concord hosts a patriot vigil at the North Bridge Visitor Center, 7:30pm. The vigil includes a lantern-light procession, poetry, music and a recitation of the names of soldiers who died on April 19, 1775. Friday, April 18 Watch Boston's reenactment of Paul Revere's ride from North Square to Charlestown, 8-10pm. If you're in Lexington, the city will host a separate reenactment from Buckman Tavern to the Hancock-Clarke House in Lexington, 10-11pm. Saturday, April 19 The reenactment of the Battle of Lexington kicks off, 5:15am. Concord hosts a dawn salute at Buttrick Hillside, 6am. Concord's parade begins at 8:30am on Thoreau Street, runs until midday on Everett Street, followed by the Concord250 Block Party at the Concord Museum. Concord's ceremony at North Bridge starts at 9:30am. The USS Lexington Ceremony at 9am on the USS Lexington Memorial commemorates the fallen soldiers and five U.S. Navy vessels named the "USS Lexington." Lexington's Patriots' Day Parade kicks off at 2pm. Sunday, April 20 Arlington commemorates the Battle of Menotomy with a reenactment, 2pm. The battle involved minutemen from 16 towns that beat back the British as they retreated from Concord and Lexington. Monday, April 21 Boston's Patriots' Day Parade starts at City Hall Plaza and ends at the Paul Revere Mall, 9-10am. The parade concludes with a reenactment by the National Lancers of Paul Revere's famous midnight ride on the Paul Revere Mall in front of Old North Church and Historic Site. Somerville hosts its Patriots' Day Colonial Fair at Foss Park, 10am-12pm. Lexington hosts a patriotic picnic in Hasting Park, 11am-2:30pm. (RSVPs end Thursday.) As is tradition, the Red Sox will commemorate Patriots' Day with a home game, 11am.
CBS News
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
250 years later, 2 men to embark on recreating Paul Revere's ride from Boston
The 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's famous midnight ride to warn that the British were coming will take over Boston on April 18. The trek will be re-enacted by two men, one by foot the other by horse. "There will be many around here. There will be many around Old North Church and the Revere House," said Michael Lepage, the actor who will be portraying Revere on foot. "When I was very little, my mother read me the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and I was captivated by it as a boy." Lepage will leave Paul Revere's home in the North End and walk his way to Old North Church before reaching the pier. It was inside Old North Church that Robert Newman, the church sexton, lit two lanterns to signify that the British troops were coming by sea. "I hope in the future it is written properly that the signals in that belfry, in that steeple, were not to me, they were from me," said Lepage, speaking in character. "It's amazing that years later I would send others up to the steeple of this church to warn others in the country side of Charlestown. It was in case I did not get out of Boston." Once Lepage reaches the water, he will join other period actors in a boat and row across the river to Charlestown. It is there that he his particular journey will end, as Lepage is learning to ride a horse, but he has yet to master it for the full ride. "This summer I am indeed going to take lessons to ride a horse to be the full Paul Revere," said Lepage. "There will be a man dressed pretty much like I am, and we'll have some sort of an exchange, and he will get on the horse and he will gallop off." The horseback Paul Revere is First Sgt. Matthew Johnson of the National Lancers. "They are the Mass. Organized Militia, they fall under the purview of the National Guard," explained First Sgt. Johnson. He has been doing the reenactment ride for 29 years, but has only been with his horse, Law, for the past three years. "As long as you get them in a certain gait or speed, you work to keep them there," said First Sgt. Johnson, "After Charlestown, it's probably about another 17 miles or so." On the night of the anniversary, he and Law will only be riding down Main Street in Charlestown as part of a shorter route. On April 21, the pair will ride the full trek from Boston to Lexington as part of another reenactment that will also see another rider portray soldier William Dawes. Dawes also rode that night to warn that the British were coming.
Boston Globe
12-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
A guide to celebrating the 250th anniversary of key Massachusetts events that fueled the American Revolution
Advertisement 5:30–7:30 p.m. — Paul Revere House At the Open until 9 p.m. — USS Constitution Museum At 8 p.m., author and historian J.L. Bell will give a 30-minute talk reflecting on Revere's journey and its historical impact, at Building 22, Charlestown Navy Yard. 6:30-8 p.m. — USS Constitution Museum Wooden lanterns will be available for those joining a parallel Charlestown parade, which marches to the Navy Yard to welcome Revere upon his arrival. 6:30 p.m. — Boston 250 Launch and 'Revolution's Edge' Performance A reading of Advertisement 7 p.m. — Lantern service at Old North Church Will include inspirational music, prayer, and a keynote address delivered by historian Heather Cox Richardson. More details available at 8 p.m. — Revere departs Spectators can gather at North Square to watch Revere's departure and follow him in a lantern-lit parade as he rides to the waterfront. 8:15 p.m. — Lanterns illuminated Two lanterns will be raised in the steeple of Old North Church — a reenactment of Revere's signal that British forces were advancing toward Lexington and Concord 'by sea.' 8 - 8:30 p.m. — Revere crosses Boston Harbor Spectators at Langone Park's Harborwalk, 529-543 Commercial St., can watch Revere depart the US Coast Guard Station and row across the Charles. At the Charlestown Navy Yard, visitors can greet him at Pier 1 and follow him to Charlestown City Square. 8:30-9 p.m. — Revere arrives in Charlestown Deacon John Larkin and the Charlestown militia will welcome Revere in Charlestown City Square. City archeologist Joe Bagley will speak on the area's Revolutionary War significance. 9:10 p.m. — Revere departs Mounted and in full reenactment, Revere will gallop down Main Street shouting, 'The regulars are out!' accompanied by the National Lancers. 9:30 p.m. — Bunker Hill Monument illuminated To close the night, the National Park Service will light the Bunker Hill Monument's pyramidion, displaying the two flags flown at its 1843 dedication. Illumination will continue nightly through July 4. Buckman Tavern in Lexington. Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe Lexington 5:15 a.m. — Reenactment of the Battle of Lexington Bright and early at Lexington Battle Green, 1625 Massachusetts Ave., reenactors will recreate the famous battle. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Advertisement 8 a.m. — Road race The 111th Annual Patriots Day 5-Mile Road Race will begin across from Emory Park at Depot Square in Lexington Center. A detailed map can be found at the 9 a.m. — USS Lexington ceremony Head to the 10 a.m. — Tree dedication The Lexington chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will dedicate a tree to honor the 250th anniversary of the battle. On the lawn behind Buckman Tavern, 1 Bedford St. 11 a.m. — Battle Green rededication and appearance by Army250 The 2 p.m. — Patriots Day parade The parade will stretch over 2.5 miles from Maple Street to Worthen Road along Massachusetts Avenue. It will include nearly 2,700 participants from 125 different units. Marchers will include reenactment groups and and musical performances. Advertisement 7 p.m. — Patriots Day concert The Lexington festivities will conclude with the free Bicentennial Band Concert at Cary Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Ave., featuring music inspired by the Revolutionary era. A group visited the Old North Bridge in Minuteman National Historic Park. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Concord 6 a.m. — Dawn salute at the North Bridge The day begins at the location of the 'shot heard 'round the world' and the beginning of the War for Independence. Reenactors will muster at Buttrick's Hill after the First Parish bell tolls at 5:45 a.m. A reenactor portraying Dr. Samuel Prescott will arrive at the bridge to warn that the Redcoats are on the march. The ceremony will conclude with musket salutes and cannon volleys from the field at the Old Manse. 8:30 a.m. — Patriots Day Parade Concord's annual Patriots Day parade will kick off at 8:30 a.m. from the corner of Thoreau Street and Hubbard Street. The 3.5-mile route will take marchers through Concord Center, over the North Bridge, and back again. The parade will be attended by delegations from 11 different cities or towns around the country called Concord, as well as a range of local, state, and federal politicians and foreign dignitaries, including Governor Maura Healey, two four-star generals, and the British consul general to New England, David Clay. President Trump has been invited to the parade but has yet to confirm his attendance, according to Brian Farber, a member of the 9:30 a.m. — North Bridge ceremony The ceremony will feature a performance of the national anthem, a cannon salute, wreath-laying, and commemorative speeches honoring those who fought and died on the morning of April 19, 1775. British consul general David Clay will place a wreath on the grave of the British soldiers at the North Bridge, while another wreath will be laid at the Minuteman Statue to honor fallen patriots. Advertisement 2 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. — Block party and beer garden Block party at Monument Square. Attendees can enjoy various activities, shows, food trucks, and a beer garden at the historic Wright Tavern, at 2 Lexington Rd. 7:30 p.m. — Light drone show The evening's events will conclude at Monument Square with 'Patriots Light' from 7:30 p.m.-8:45 p.m., featuring music and other entertainment. The centerpiece will be a drone show starting at 8:15 p.m., approximately 45 minutes after sunset. Getting there Public transit is strongly recommended due to expected heavy traffic, limited parking, and major road closures beginning April 18. Special event schedules will be in effect, The Satellite parking lots with shuttle services connecting lots to major event sites will be available in both towns. For details about Lexington services, Additional resources: For more information, visit the websites of the Advertisement Nathan Metcalf can be reached at
