Mayflower Voyage - Plymouth Colony 400th Anniversary

Mayflower Replica Attribution:

User: Stilfehler at wikivoyage shared [CC BY-SA 3.0]

Massachusetts will host a series of events in 2020 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of two historic events that helped shape the United States of America; the Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony.

Selected by the state’s Plymouth 400 Commission, the events will highlight the historical significance of the English Pilgrims who landed in Plymouth in 1620, and interactions with the Native American Wampanoag people.

The series of 400th anniversary events will showcase Massachusetts’ vibrant culture, cuisine, history and natural beauty.


400th anniversary activities for 2020 include:

• official Plymouth 400 opening ceremony in Plymouth


• the sailing of the Mayflower to Boston, Provincetown and Plymouth


• a maritime festival hosted by Mayflower Sails 2020 in Boston Harbor alongside the USS Constitution and Mayflower


• a homecoming festival in Plymouth with visiting ships and maritime activities


• Wampanoag Ancestors Walk, led by the Wampanoag tribes of Massachusetts


• Official State House Salute to the 400th Anniversary


• Embarkation Festival


• Indigenous History Conference and Powwow


• Illuminate Thanksgiving 2020


• a moving exhibit entitled “Our Story: 400 Years of Wampanoag History", is traveling around Massachusetts and New England in 2020


• the United Kingdom and The Netherlands are also participating by sending official delegations to Massachusetts

In preparation for 400th anniversary celebrations, the Plimoth Plantation has completed a three-year, $11.2 million restoration of the historic wooden sailing ship Mayflower.

For information about visiting Massachusetts, go to massvacation.com.

sources: Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, plymouth400inc.org, Plimoth Plantation