Annual Battles of Trenton Reenactment

The OBM, in cooperation with the City of Trenton and other local partners, hosts the annual Battle of Trenton commemorative reenactment the first Saturday after Christmas each year.

The next three years are scheduled for:

2025 – December 27
2026 – December 26 (the 250th anniversary on the 250th anniversary!)
2027 – December 26 (Sunday)

Participation

Participation in the annual Battle of Trenton reenactment is by OBM invitation only. We invite units, not individuals. We extend invitations based solely on a unit’s willingness to adhere to our accuracy and safety standards and ability to engage with the public. Any individual who would like to participate should become a dues-paying member in good standing of an invited unit. No walk-ons will be permitted.

Invitations will be emailed to unit contacts of currently approved regiments. All units must register by September. Once fully registered you will receive a confirmation email. Registration must include:

Unit Name
Current contact name and email
Number of soldiers
Number of civilians/followers
Proof of insurance valid during that year’s event

We welcome any unit not already on our invitation list to apply to participate. Please send the following to Mark A. Turdo, Assistant Director of Interpretation & Curation at mturdo@barracks.org

Unit Name
Current contact name and email
Number of soldiers
Number of civilians/followers
Proof of insurance valid during that year’s event
Copy of unit’s accuracy guidelines
Recent Photographs of members in 18th-century clothing

Patriots Week & Colonial Ball

The annual Battle of Trenton event is part of Patriots Week, a week-long celebration organized by the City of Trenton that includes historic sites and local businesses, beginning every year on December 26th. For more information on Patriots Week, see https://patriotsweek.com/

The OBM hosts the Annual Ball the Friday night before the battle each year. Information regarding each year’s ball will be sent out with unit registration confirmation.

Logistics and Schedule

A guideline and logistics document will be mailed each November to participating regiments. Please share it with members of your unit who will be attending the event so they have all the details.

The event follows a similar format each year:

8:00 am

Participant registration opens at South Gate (facing the adjacent parking lot)
9:00 am

Units begin to assemble on the Parade Ground.
9:30 am

Officers’ meeting – OBM staff meets with officers from all participating units.
10:00 am

Safety inspection of all participants (anyone not inspected will not be permitted to field).
11:00 am

First Battle (reflecting the December 26, 1776 battle).
12:00 pm

Return to Parade Ground & post-battle inspections. Lunch provided by the Masons.
2:00 pm

Safety inspection of all participants (anyone not inspected will not be permitted to field).
3:00 pm

Second Battle (reflecting the January 2, 1777 battle).
4:00 pm

Return to Parade Ground, post-battle inspections, and dismissal.

Event Command Structure

In cooperation with participating units, each year OBM staff will determine the command structure for both battles. This will be based on the number of units and combatants registered for that year. Selected officers will include a Continental Army commander who will serve during both battles, a Hessian commander for the morning battle, and a British commander for the afternoon battle.

OBM staff will also accompany and direct (as needed) commanding officers during inspections and battles to help ensure safety and keep the battles flowing smoothly and on schedule.

Interpretive Guidelines

While the reenactments are not perfect recreations of the historic battles, they are a wonderful and visible opportunity to share our revolutionary history and the importance of the Battles of Trenton with the general public. As every participant is a representative of the OBM, at least in the eyes of the general public, we ask participants to keep the following in mind:

Be welcoming to visitors and be prepared to speak with them. Not everyone needs to interpret, but someone in each unit should be familiar with the Battles of Trenton to help the public gain a better understanding of them and their significance.
While it can be a fine line at times, please keep all conversation with the public focused on history and avoid discussions of modern politics.
During public hours, to help maintain an eighteenth-century atmosphere, make sure that all visible items (equipment, tools, clothing, accessories, etc.) are accurate reproductions only (for more on clothing, see the Accuracy Guidelines).
The morning battle, fought in the streets of modern-day Trenton, is a particularly active and fast-paced scenario. Please make sure you are physically able to participate.