Trenton Patriots Week 2024 returns December 25 with a variety of special events, including the 72nd annual Christmas Day Delaware River Crossing, reenactments of the first and second Battles of Trenton, a Colonial Ball, and a planetarium show that re-creates the stars lighting up the sky in December 1776.

The events, all taking place between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, are free to attend unless indicated; many requiring advanced registration. Visit patriotsweek.com for details.

Festivities kick off with the annual Christmas Day Delaware River crossing reenactment on December 25 from 12 to 3 p.m., when several hundred reenactors in Continental military dress will row across the river from Pennsylvania to New Jersey in replica Durham boats. The actual crossing will be at 1 p.m., but it is recommended that attendees arrive by 11:30 a.m. for good viewing positions. Admission is free.

The location, Washington Crossing Historic Park, is at the intersection of Routes 532 and 32 (River Road) in Washington Crossing, Pa., or the GPS address: 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, Pa., 18977. Parking is free and will be marked.

Individuals with disabilities who need assistance or accommodations to attend should call the Washington Crossing Historic Park Visitor Center at 215.493.4076.

River crossings are contingent upon safe weather conditions for participants, but commemorative colonial-era activities will go on.

The Trenton Battlefield Walking Tour begins on Thursday, December 26 with a 10-block interpretive walk led by Ralph Siegel bringing to life the two battles of Trenton, as Washington’s troops approach from two directions to strike and defeat German regiments. The tour includes stops at the historic Trenton Battle Monument and the Assunpink Creek in Mill Hill Park. The tour, starting from a downtown location to be announced, is from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Another highlight will be “Stars of 1776,” offering the night sky as it would have been seen in 1776 by George Washington and his troops, followed by a special show at the New Jersey State Museum Planetarium, 205 West State Street. Show tickets are $10 for this event, which is repeated on specific days, all listed on the website.

Also during Patriots Week, the New Jersey State House, home of the New Jersey State Legislature, will be the location of a guided tour of the General Assembly and The Senate chambers, at 145 West State Street. Advanced reservations are required. Call 609.847.3150. Tours are 10 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m. on designated days.

Additional special events for Patriots Week include musket-firing demonstrations by soldiers of the New Jersey; Line of the Continental Army as they drill and fire their muskets on the Parade Ground of the Old Barracks Museum; a Hidden History Tour at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church at 140 North Warren Street; “Jacob Francis: A Free Black Man’s Experiences in the American Revolution,” with Larry Kidder, author of The Revolutionary World of a Free Black Man: Jacob Francis, 1754-1836 at the 1719 William Trent House; and “Surviving the Winters: Housing Washington’s Army During the American Revolution” with author Steven Elliott, a staff historian with the U.S. Army Military History Institute and a lecturer at Rutgers-Newark, at the Trenton Masonic Temple.

Other events include “Songs and Stories of the Revolution” with performer Matthew Dodd at the Trenton Free Public Library; a Revolutionary Pub Crawl for those over age 21; a tour of Petty’s Run with archeologist Richard Hunter, at 45 West State Street; author Michael C. Gabriele presenting “Colonial Taverns of New Jersey: Libations, Liberty & Revolution,” a virtual presentation offered by the New Jersey State Library; a Revolutionary Tea, with certified tea specialists Deborah and Michael Raab on the history and rituals connected to the subject of “revolutionary tea parties,” including a tea tasting at the Trenton Free Public Library; a walking tour, “Trenton 1775: A Colonial Town Caught in the Revolution” with historian Sharon Holt and attorney Marc A. McKithen leading a g tour of Colonial Trenton, concluding in the historic Trenton Friends Meetinghouse for refreshments; and a cemetery tour with archeologist Richard Hunter of Hunter Research leading a tour of Trenton’s 1st Presbyterian Church cemetery, visiting the graves of American Revolutionary War veterans.

On Friday, December 27, a Colonial Ball will be held at Trenton Masonic Temple, 100 Barrack Street. Tickets, at $40, must be purchased in advance.

“Hogmanay! A Scottish Celebration of the New Year!” will be celebrated in honor of William Trent, founder of Trenton, who immigrated from Scotland, replete with bagpipers and authentic shortbread at the 1719 William Trent House, 15 Market Street, on Saturday, December 28 at 2 p.m.

For information on  other events, including a New Year’s Eve concert by the Capital Philharmonic, visit patriotsweek.com.