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The MayDay Parade & Festival is presented with the assistance of the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.

MayDay Ceremony

The MayDay Ceremony in Powderhorn Park has become a joyous annual ritual for nearly 50,000 people in the Twin Cities.

Each year, a 200-person pageant re-tells the story of that year's parade, with children and adult dancers, puppeteers, a live orchestra and four giant serene puppets who represent the Prairie, Sky, River, and Woods.

It culminates in the Tree of Life Ceremony: to the steady beating of drums, a resplendent red Sun Flotilla paddles the Sun from across the lake to the shore where the Tree of Life sleeps, waiting to be reawakened.

Audio/Visual Assistance

The Tree of Life Ceremony is audio described and also presented in American Sign Language (ASL). If you or someone in your party need these services, please meet by the seating area next to the ceremony ring after the parade.

The Best Sign of Spring: MayDay

photo: Nick Lethert

Six months of relentless winter always leaves us a little paranoid: It may snow again. It is only with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre's annual May Day Parade that we can shed our fears of winter and join in a communal celebration of rebirth that is as joyous, giddy, and oversized as our emotions.

When those two-story-tall puppets begin their haunting, wordless journey to Powderhorn Park, whatever remains of our seasonal depression slips away.

The relief of it is enough to send spectators into tears when, along with the tens of thousands of other attendees, they begin to sing a song that finally banishes winter for another six months: Gene Autry's "You Are My Sunshine." - City Pages

Don't miss the 36th Annual MayDay Parade and Festival! Sunday, May 2, 2010