Trenton’s Patriots 2024 returns with historic battle reenactments, a Colonial Ball, lectures, music, tours and family activities. Here’s what’s planned!

Schedule of Events:

NJ State House Tours
10 am, 11 am, 1 pm & 2 pm FREE
145 W. State St.
Visit the home of the New Jersey State Legislature. Join a guided tour of the General Assembly and Senate chambers and discover the storied history of New Jersey’s State House. Advanced reservations required. Call 609-847-3150.

Civil War Flag Gallery unveiling
10 - 11 am   FREE
NJ State Museum
205 W. State St.
Join flag historian Dr. David Martin and the Museum’s Curator of Cultural History Nicholas Ciotola for the history of five new Civil War regimental flags being unveiled in the NJ State Museum exhibition, The Civil War Flag Collection of New Jersey.

NJ State Library Tours
11:30 am & 3:30 pm    FREE
185 West State Street
Take a tour of the NJ State Library and its collections, dating back to its founding in 1796.  Highlights include rare books, maps, and our Genealogy and Jerseyana collections, brimming with fascinating resources related to the American Revolution and beyond!

Hidden History Tour
1 pm  FREE
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
140 N. Warren St.
Stop in for a tour and learn how this site was pivotal to the Battle of Trenton. Find out what happened to the cannons under the poplars, discover catacombs under the church and visit the grave of David Brearley, founder of the Electoral College and signer of the Constitution.

Make A Quill Pen & Write like John Hancock (children’s workshop)
2:30 pm   FREE
St Michael’s Episcopal Church
140 N. Warren St.
Create your own piece of history! Fashion a quill pen and see if you can sign your name as well as John Hancock! Everyone gets a feather for their cap.

The Stars of 1776
2:30 pm
[buy Planetarium tickets at the State Museum]
New Jersey State Museum Planetarium
205 W. State St.
Explore the night sky as it would have been seen in 1776 by George Washington and his troops, then stay for a special Planetarium show. 2:30 PM - Big Astronomy.

Quakers:  Choose a Side!
2:30 PM   FREE
Trenton Meeting of Friends
142 East Hanover St.
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) believed in the renunciation of war.  This tenet was sorely tested with the onset of the American Revolution. How did the Trenton Quakers feel about Philemon Dickinson, a slave-owning Quaker who fought in the Battle of Trenton as a general in the Colonial army?  How did they react when the British Dragoons took over their meetinghouse as a barracks? Did they continue to meet during the War? Learn more at the Trenton Meetinghouse, probably the oldest surviving House of Worship in Trenton.

Annual Inter-Faith Peace Vigil
4 pm    FREE
Trenton Friends Meetinghouse
142 E. Hanover St.
Join the Trenton Friends Meeting for their annual peace vigil. There will be a brief introduction to Quaker ways and then silence.  Various faith-leaders will speak on “Peace on earth”, then everyone is invited to speak if led to do so. Following a 5:15 - 5:45 pm sing-along, visitors are invited to share a meal.

Capital Philharmonic Orchestra of New Jersey New Year’s Eve Concert
8 pm TICKETS REQUIRED
Patriots Theater Trenton War Memorial
1 Memorial Drive