On November 20, 1776, British forces came ashore south of the Kearney House and climbed the Palisades toward the American fort on the cliffs above the Hudson. The garrison's retreat ran west from Fort Lee through Leonia, Englewood, Teaneck, New Milford and River Edge to Hackensack. Two hundred fifty years later, the anniversary reenactment follows that route too.
Fort Lee Historic Park has held Retreat Day for years, on the weekend closest to the date of the invasion. This November it covers far more ground. The plan for November 21 and 22, 2026 sends troops from the cliffs through the towns in between to the Hackensack River. For anyone who lives here, the best way to plan the weekend is by day and by place.
A route across three days
The Brigade of the American Revolution lists its partners for this year: the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Bergen County Parks, Historic New Bridge Landing and "the towns in between." The Palisades Parks Conservancy and the Town of Fort Lee help fund the Fort Lee program. Based on the plans published so far, the weekend breaks down like this:
| Day | Where | What is planned |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 20 | Fort Lee Historic Park and Kearney House | Reenactors set up camp. American and British forces camp at Fort Lee, and British forces also camp at Kearney House |
| Saturday, Nov. 21 | Huyler's Landing, then Fort Lee | British march up the Palisades, a memorial march into town, a large tactical demonstration, and camps by firelight in the evening |
| Sunday, Nov. 22 | Fort Lee to the Englewood Liberty Pole to New Bridge Landing | American rearguard march, Washington meets the column, and the two sides clash at the Steuben House |
Published hours differ a little from listing to listing. Bergen250 gives 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fort Lee Historic Park on both days. RevNJ lists the full weekend from 9 a.m. Saturday to 4 p.m. Sunday. A separate RevNJ listing for the Fort Lee encampment runs from 9 a.m. Friday to noon Sunday. As of this week, the park commission's Retreat Day page still says "Stay tuned for updates on 2026's Retreat Day!" Check that page again before you go.
Saturday on the cliffs
Saturday stays closest to home. The Brigade's plan starts with British forces marching up the Palisades from Huyler's Landing and then joining the day's events at Fort Lee. The memorial march into town follows, with representatives from each town on the historic Retreat Route speaking about why the retreat mattered. After the ceremony comes a large tactical demonstration across the grounds of Fort Lee, showing the American rearguard action as British and Hessian forces sweep through.
The evening may be the most unusual part. The public is invited to stay on and hear "both side's stories of the darkest days of 1776" and walk through the camps by firelight. November hours matter for this. From November 1, the grounds of Fort Lee Historic Park close at 7 p.m. instead of 9 p.m., and the Visitor Center keeps Wednesday through Sunday hours of 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The entrance is on Hudson Terrace, across from Bruce Reynolds Boulevard.
Between demonstrations, the park's permanent features are worth a look. These include a reconstructed Revolutionary War encampment with an officers' hut at the south end, and overlooks at the north end facing the Hudson, Upper Manhattan and the George Washington Bridge.
The parking math for a long Saturday
Bergen250 notes that parking meters will be in effect for the weekend. The Palisades Interstate Park parking page lists weekend rates of $2.50 an hour for the first four hours, $1.50 an hour for hours four through eight, and $1 an hour after that, up to $20 a day. From November 1, weekend meters run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Here is what that means for a full Saturday. If you park at 10 a.m. and stay through the firelight program, you pay for seven hours. That comes to $10 for the first four and $4.50 for the next three, or $14.50, because meters stop charging at 5 p.m. That is still under the $20 daily cap.
Three more rules on that page affect how you plan the day:
- Pay stations take credit and debit cards only. No cash. You can also pay through the ParkMobile app or by texting 77223.
- Lots close when they fill and reopen only after enough cars have left. Paying the meter does not guarantee your space if you drive out and try to come back.
- Parking fees cannot be transferred from one park area to another.
The page carries no date, so it makes sense to recheck rates closer to the weekend. On a day this busy, the second rule matters most. If you plan to stay into the evening, think twice before leaving the lot for lunch.
Sunday, the march leaves the park
On Sunday the reenactment leaves the park, and it is the day most likely to pass close to home. The Brigade's plan sends the American rearguard out of Fort Lee along the historic Retreat Route, "with escorts and members of the public gathered to witness the recreated evacuation of the palisades." The stops are:
- Fort Lee Historic Park. The rearguard starts here. Bergen County's tourism office notes that permanent retreat-route signs mark the Continental Army's path from the park all the way to the Acquackanonk Bridge in Wallington.
- The Englewood Liberty Pole. Washington meets the column here and leads the troops toward the Hackensack River. The site is at the corner of Lafayette and West Palisade Avenues. The state historical marker list records that a pole first went up there in 1766 and has been replaced several times. The current pole dates to 1964. British forces march from Huyler's Landing to the same intersection and are turned toward New Bridge Landing.
- Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201 Main Street, River Edge. The Bergen County Historical Society hosts this part of the weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Troops are expected to arrive on foot around 11 a.m., some from Fort Lee and some from the Liberty Pole. Past President Jim Smith will read The American Crisis, and George Washington, played by John Koopman, will lead troops across the bridge with General Greene and other generals on horseback. According to the Brigade, the Steuben House will be fortified and the two sides will clash over the bridge and grounds from one bank of the river to the other.
The Fort Lee portion is metered parking only. The New Bridge Landing program is ticketed: $15.50 for adults and $10.50 for BCHS members and students, each plus a small service fee. Sunday's estimated 11 a.m. arrival at New Bridge is the clearest timing anyone has published. If you want to see both the march and the clash at the bridge, you can work backward from that time.
The parts of 1776 that stay in town
When the weekend ends, the retreat route signs stay up, and so do the Revolutionary War sites in the middle of Fort Lee. Monument Park, at Palisade Avenue and Monument Place, is built around the "Rebelmen" statue. It also has plaques honoring Generals Horatio Gates, Henry Knox, Hugh Mercer and Nathanael Greene, along with Thomas Paine. The borough's Monument Park page describes the park as part of the original Continental Army encampment at Fort Constitution.
Next door is the Fort Lee Museum at the Judge Moore House, 1588 Palisade Avenue. Bergen County describes it as sitting on Parker Avenue between Monument Park and the Church of the Good Shepherd. Together, Monument Park and the park on the cliffs show two sides of the 1776 story: the encampment in town and the fort on the Palisades.
These sites also make the weekend easier to manage. If the park lots fill on Saturday, Monument Park is still open, still tied to the story, and a good spot to explain the history to visiting family before Sunday's march.
Where to eat between the cliffs and the march
Fort Lee has several new places to eat this fall, some of them near the route.
- Mango Mango, 1633 Palisade Avenue. This dessert shop was reported open in early September by Boozy Burbs. It sits on the same stretch of Palisade Avenue as the Fort Lee Museum and Monument Park.
- Cafe Et Lait, 817 Abbott Boulevard. The cafe's second Fort Lee location serves coffee, tea, matcha, pastries and sandwiches, as reported by The Local Girl in early October. It is a good place to stop for coffee before an early Sunday start.
- Lefkes at The Modern, 200 Park Avenue. The Local Girl reported a grand opening set for October 9, with hours of 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Those Saturday hours run late enough for dinner after the firelight camps.
Hours were not listed for Mango Mango or Cafe Et Lait, so check before planning a meal around either one.
I have lived and worked in Fort Lee for many years, and this anniversary reaches the same streets where my clients live. If family is visiting that weekend and you would like suggestions for showing them around town, in English or Korean, I am glad to help. Margaret Kim — Let's Connect.
