You Can Help Build MayDay!

Volunteer for the MayDay Parade & Festival!

On Sunday, May 6, 2012, tens of thousands of folks will celebrate a day of community and festivity together. All this takes place because - and only because - hundreds of volunteers pitch in to make it happen.

To sign up for any of the opportunities listed below, please contact Margery Otto:

About these positions

Volunteering is a great way to be part of the MayDay community. Meet other fun people. Receive free gifts: two free tickets and either a Volunteer T-shirt or a MayDay decal depending on the position. Most of all, HAVE FUN!

Mayday Volunteer Opportunities Include:

Volunteer Positions before MayDay

Thursday: Tabloid Distributor - 5 positions

  • Deliver MayDay programs to various locations around town. Come to our Theatre to pick up MayDay programs and a "route" listing places that want them. Then drive your "route," dropping off tabloids at each location. Tell everyone you see, "Happy MayDay!"
  • Ideal for people with reliable transportation.
  • Thursday, 28 April, 3 hours at your convenience, from 2 pm to whenever
  • Meet at HOBT, 1500 East Lake Street, Minneapolis

FRIDAY: VAN CREW - 2 positions

  • Be the crew on the van that picks up supplies for MayDay. Be the first to see this year's beautiful MayDay t-shirts. Unload the van at Powderhorn Park.
  • Ideal for physically active people who enjoy driving around town together.
  • Friday 29 April, 1:30 to 4:30 pm
  • Meet at HOBT, 1500 East Lake Street, Minneapolis

Saturday: Load-In Crew - 10 positions

  • Load storage areas and trucks, so that everything is “ready to roll” on MayDay. Tables, tents, T-shirts - we load them all. Lots of free jokes and camaraderie.
  • Ideal for physically active people who enjoy good team-work.
  • Saturday 30 April, from 9:30 am-Noon
  • Meet at Powderhorn Park Building, 3400 15th Avenue South

Volunteer Positions on MayDay - Sunday, May 6, 2012

Park Set-Up Team - 20 positions

  • Unload trucks, set up canopies, and distribute equipment throughout Powderhorn Park. Make the Park festive!
  • Ideal for "morning people” who enjoy a little heavy lifting with their coffee.
  • Sunday 1 May, either 6:30-9:30 am, OR, 8:30-11:30 am
  • Meet at Powderhorn Park Building, 3400 15th Avenue South

LABYRINTH CREATING - 7 positions

  • Help create the MayDay labyrinth, enjoyed by more than a thousand people on MayDay.
  • Ideal for physically active folks who value the magic of labyrinths.
  • Sunday 1 May, 9:30 am-12 noon
  • Meet at Labyrinth site in Powderhorn Park

MayDay Booth Assistant - 24 positions

  • Sell MayDay merchandise to eager customers. Volunteers on the last shift of the day also take down canopies and carry equipment to a designated pick-up location.
  • Ideal for individuals who like selling fun stuff!
  • Sunday 1 May, either 10 am-1 pm, OR, 1-4 pm, OR, 3:30-6:30 pm
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

Sun Flotilla Docent - 6 positions

  • Keep company with the Sun canoes before they cross the Lake. Help people enjoy looking without touching.
  • Ideal for people who like answering questions and watching ducks.
  • Sunday 1 May, either 10 am-12:30 pm, OR, 12:30 pm-3 pm
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

PARADE LINE-UP ASSISTANT - 4 positions

  • Assist at Parade line-up as we put up traffic barricades, unload trucks of Parade art, and help the Parade get organized (so to speak).
  • Ideal for folks who like being part of a happy, chaotic scene.
  • Sunday 1 May, 10 am-1 pm
  • Meet at volunteer tent in Cedar Field, 18th Avenue at East 25th Street, Minneapolis

Music Equipment Companion - 4 positions

  • Maintain a vigil over the equipment sitting on stages in Powderhorn Park.
  • Ideal for individuals who enjoy people-watching and sitting in the Park with friends.
  • Sunday 1 May, 11 am-2:30 pm
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

Parade Marshal - 30 positions

  • Be a Very Important Person in this year’s Parade. Walk with a section of the MayDay Parade, helping the performers steer their way down the street. Smile a lot!
  • Ideal for people who love interacting with the public on Parade Day.
  • Sunday 1 May, 11:15 am-3 pm
  • Meet at Volunteer tent in Cedar Field, 18th Avenue at East 25th Street, Minneapolis

Parade Block Host - 16 groups

  • "Adopt" one block of the parade route, welcoming people and handing out programs. You may provide information about your group and watch the Parade! After the Parade, tidy up your block so our neighbors enjoy MayDay too.
  • Ideal for community groups, or groups of friends, who want to be with the neighborhood on MayDay.
  • Sunday 1 May, Noon-3 pm
  • Meet at Your group's assigned block along the Parade route

Parade Banner Carrier - 18 positions

  • Enjoy being in the Parade as you carry the banners that mark the beginning and the end of the portion of the MayDay Parade created by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre.
  • Ideal for folks who want to be in the MayDay Parade but didn't make a costume this year.
  • Sunday 1 May, Noon-3 pm
  • Meet at Volunteer tent in Cedar Field, 18th Avenue at East 25th Street, Minneapolis

SEED ARK CARRIERS - 50 positions

  • Help carry beautiful arks of sprouting plants in the Parade.
  • Ideal for five-person groups of physically-active folks who will carry the glory of new life into MayDay.
  • Sunday 1 May, Noon―3 pm
  • Meet at Parade line-up on East 25th Street at 17th Avenue

LOST CHILD CAREGIVER - 4 positions

  • Provide care for children who have become separated from their families, until they can be reunited. Such an important role, with such joyous endings!
  • Ideal for licensed child-care providers skilled at comforting upset kids from various cultural backgrounds.
  • Sunday 1 May, either 1-4 pm, OR, 4-7 pm
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

BUILDING CHECK-IN - 2 positions

  • Enjoy a prime spot overlooking Powderhorn Lake as you check people off a list (provided by us) before letting them into the Powderhorn Park Building.
  • Ideal for folks who enjoy a great view of MayDay and are able to enforce rules kindly and firmly.
  • Sunday 1 May, 2-6 pm
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

STILT COLLECTOR- 1 position

  • Receive sets of stilts at the end of the Parade, as young stilters shed their height. Give each stilter a Receipt s/he can use to reclaim the deposit check from a separate location.
  • Ideal for folks who empathize with exhilarated but tired MayDay performers.
  • Sunday 1 May, 1200-4 pm
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

GREEN TEAM - 30 positions

  • Help MayDay go greener this year! Staff recycling stations in Powderhorn Park, enjoying the crowds as you help folks decide where to deposit their trash. Each interaction is an educational opportunity!
  • Ideal for individuals or small groups of people committed to lightening our tread on the Earth. Feel free to wear a t-shirt from an Earth-friendly organization.
  • Sunday 1 May either 12-3 pm, OR, 3-6 pm , OR, 6-9 pm
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

Parade Picker-upper - 4 positions

  • Get a front row seat to watch the Parade! Then help us as we collect unused puppets and equipment along the parade assembly area.
  • Ideal for physically active people who get a chuckle out of the random objects left behind.
  • Sunday 1 May, 1:30-3 pm
  • Meet at Volunteer tent in Cedar Field, 18th Avenue at East 25th Street, Minneapolis

Park Stage Crew - 6 positions

  • Help community performers set up their acts on one of the performance stages. Watch some really fun gigs!
  • Ideal for individuals or small groups who enjoy working behind-the-scenes with community artists. Technical knowledge is helpful but not required.
  • Sunday 1 May, 2-6 pm (some breaks provided)
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

SPROUT DELIVERY- 2 positions

  • Hand out baby plants after they've finished the Parade, giving them away to good homes.
  • Ideal for folks who enjoy connecting with the MayDay audience.
  • Sunday 1 May, 3-6 pm (some breaks provided)
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

Ceremony Donation Collector -10 positions

  • Accept donations from a happy crowd of people gathered on the hillside to watch the Tree-of-Life pageant. You see the pageant too!
  • Ideal for people who enjoy wearing MayDay attire (we provide a tunic and a gorgeous umbrella) and enjoy saying “Happy MayDay!” to everyone they meet.
  • Sunday 1 May, 3-5:30 pm
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

Park Clean-Up Crew - 6 positions

  • To make Powderhorn Park clean and festive. We will head out with bags and gloves to restore our wonderful trash bins to order.
  • Ideal for physically active folks who appreciate doing good deeds.
  • Sunday 1 May, 4:30-7:30 pm
  • Meet at Main HOBT Booth in Powderhorn Park

LABYRINTH ATTENDING AND CLOSING - 7 positions

  • Tend to the MayDay labyrinth as people run, walk, pray or dance its path, answering questions and resetting shrines and pathways. At 6 pm help close the labyrinth and load up its hay.
  • Ideal for physically active folks who value the magic of labyrinths.
  • Sunday 1 May, 4-7 pm
  • Meet at Labyrinth site in Powderhorn Park

Tear-Down Team - 25 positions

  • Be part of a crew that dismantles stage platforms, loads trucks, and transports materials back to HOBT. We will be very tired - We so appreciate your help!
  • Ideal for energetic people who enjoy the camaraderie of lifting, hauling and singing in the rain. (It WOULDN'T!)
  • Sunday 1 May, 7:30-10:30 pm (but earlier if it rains)
  • Meet at Southwest side of Powderhorn Lake, in between the two puppet storage areas.

DINNER COORDINATOR

  • Set out a meal for a tired, bedraggled crew when we finally make it back to the Theatre. Stay and clean up too. Thank you!
  • Ideal for night-friendly folks.
  • Sunday 1 May, either 8-11 pm, OR, 9 pm-Midnight
  • Meet at HOBT, 1500 East Lake Street

Many other fun volunteer opportunities available!

  • To sign up, or for further information about volunteering, please email Margery Otto, Volunteer Coordinator or call 612-721-2535 x14
Download the MayDay 2011 Volunteer Description and Sign-Up Form
Guest from Taiwan at the May Day Festival in Minneapolis volunteers at the annual MayDay workshops in Minneapolis Delivering MayDay Tabloids Wrangling MayDay Puppets Wrapping the MayDay Festival
Photos: Nick Lethert, Anna Lethert, Tracy Yue

Support MayDay

To easily donate $10, Text "MAYDAY" to 20222*

Your donation will be added to your next bill.

*Texting Your Donation A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Messaging and data rates may apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers.

Donations are collected for the benefit of the MayDay Parade and In the Heart of the Beast Theatre by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. You can unsubscribe at any time by replying STOP to short code "20222". Reply HELP to "20222" for help.