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OCT

17

Victory Season at Saratoga: Celebrate Surrender Day!

October 17, 2026

Saratoga National Historical Park

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On the 249th anniversary of the Surrender at Saratoga, explore the sites where history was made! Saratoga250, in partnership with Saratoga National Historical Park, will have five sites open where you can learn about the event known as the Turning Point of the American Revolution! A free trolley provided by our partners at CDTA will allow you to move easily between sites with an onboard guide to answer questions. Saratoga NHP Park Rangers will be at several sites to engage with the public on this anniversary date.

A group gathered at the The Schuyler House listening to a tour guide

Event Details

  • Start Time:

    10:00 am

  • End Time:

    3:00 pm

  • Location:

    Saratoga National Historical Park, General Philip Schuyler House / Saratoga Revolutionary Experience Center & more.

  • Parking is recommended at either the Saratoga Revolutionary Experience Center in Fort Hardy Park (30 Ferry St. Schuylerville) or the General Philip Schuyler House (4 Broad St. Schuylerville). The other sites have limited parking, so take the trolley instead!

Additional Details

Featured Sites
  • Saratoga Revolutionary Experience Center 
  • General Philip Schuyler House
  • Saratoga Sword Surrender Site
  • Victory Woods (self-guided walking tour)
  • The Saratoga Monument

Visitors should plan to use our Saratoga Revolutionary Experience Passport to check in to participating sites visited, including wonderful local options for breakfast, lunch, dessert, or brewery beverages. Free to participate, compete for a chance to win Saratoga 250 prizes.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saratoga 250 will host historian Ben Haley for a look at how Massachusetts and New York sought, jointly at first, to commemorate Henry Knox’s 1775–76 winter artillery trek. Haley, Director of the National Register of Historic Places program for Massachusetts, will examine how that early cooperation ultimately gave way to competing priorities and divergent interpretations.

Experience the warm glow and quiet atmosphere of an 18th‑century home lit entirely by candlelight. Presented in partnership with the
Old Saratoga Historical Association, this evening program invites visitors to explore the Schuyler estate and hear stories about the people who lived, worked, and visited there.

On behalf of the Town of Saratoga, the Village of Schuylerville, the Saratoga County 250th American Revolution Commission, and the Campaign for Saratoga 250, we are honored to host students and families of young children to participate in the annual Surrender Day Ceremony, marking the 249th anniversary of the American victory at the Battles of Saratoga.

On the 249th anniversary of the Surrender at Saratoga, explore the sites where history was made! Saratoga250 in partnership with Saratoga National Historical Park will have five sites open and staffed where you can learn about the event known as the Turning Point of the American Revolution!

Join us for an evening of history and harmony as we mark the 249th anniversary of the British surrender at Saratoga. This commemorative concert features 18th-century music performed by the renowned Musicians of Ma’alwyck, joined by award winning soprano Vedrana Kalas, and is punctuated by the insightful historical insights of featured speaker Eric Schnitzer, Saratoga NHP Ranger and Military Historian, who will share firsthand accounts of the surrender from diverse perspectives.

Morgan Lewis is an often-overlooked figure of the American Revolution but one who was at the center of some of the most pivotal moments in the formation of America. The son of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, he defined a generation of young officers who, despite their youth and inexperience, brought tenacity and intellect that was the foundation for victory.

Using a variety of archival sources and research techniques, Saratoga National Historical Park Curator Christine Valosin will talk about six different women with ties to the Schuyler family or estate, illuminating little known stories of their lives during the turbulent years of the American War for Independence.

Published for the 250th anniversary of the United States, When the Declaration of Independence Was News focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain.

Saratoga250 will have a presence at the Saratoga County Revolutionary Run for Veterans, a 5k run at Fort Hardy Park which benefits Saratoga County Veterans.

Americans generally assume that the surrender of Sir John Burgoyne to General Horatio Gates at Saratoga on 17 October 1777 caused France to openly enter the American War of Independence. The American leadership interpreted the defeat at Saratoga within their military and political needs. Saratoga was of great military importance, an immense morale booster and extensively used for propaganda purposes. But France’s decision to join the American rebels came after years of preparation and was by no means monocausal.

    Keep America’s Turning Point Alive icon-star-red

    Keep America’s Turning Point alive for generations to come by making a tax-deductible donation to the Campaign for Saratoga 250, Inc. Our certified 501c3 nonprofit organization is dedicated to promoting awareness, education, and preservation of critical assets of the Battles of Saratoga. Your support will help promote historical awareness of new generations of people across the region, nation, and globe.