following the parade / powderhorn park

Mayday ceremony

  • WATCH THE CEREMONY

    Join us for the Tree of Life Ceremony in Powderhorn Park following the Parade.

    Learn More

  • GET INVOLVED WITH THE CEREMONY

    We need volunteers to help build puppets and participate in the ceremony.

    volunteer details

  • Mayday Ceremony History

    Since 1975, South Minneapolis has been celebrating on the first Sunday in May.

    learn more
Colorful handcrafted sign with "CEREMONY" in red letters, featuring a painted face, tree branches, and two yellow and blue birds.

THE TREE OF LIFE Ceremony

The Tree of Life Ceremony is an annual ritual that celebrates community joy and resilience. Hundreds of volunteers build and perform puppets to enact a theme developed from the concerns and visions of this time and this place.

We invite you to participate in this community ritual as we honor the Tree of Life and the return to Spring.

Illustration of four black birds with green plants in their beaks.

watch thE

CEREMONY!

    • Following the end of the Parade.

    • Ceremony seating is on the hillside on the West side of Powderhorn Lake.

    • To watch the ceremony, bring blankets to sit on, water, snacks or a picnic (no food trucks this year), a garbage bag to help pick up trash and dress for the weather!

    • Please be a kind neighbor, and share the hillside! If you bring a giant blanket and plan to save the best spot, please be considerate and invite others to join you.

    • We will have designated Hillside Hosts that can help you find a spot and make room for everyone!  If you would like to volunteer as a Host, please fill out our volunteer interest form and let us know!

    • Please respect the Park and clean up after yourselves! THANK YOU!

Illustration of four black birds with green plants in their beaks.
A group of people dressed in red are on a decorative boat with a large sun sculpture during a festival on a lake. The scene includes green trees in the background and spectators on the lakeshore.

the tree of life ceremony

The Mayday Tree of Life Ceremony is a community ritual crafted from community conversation. We invite YOU to join in the preparation and the enactment of this ritual to hold and honor this moment we live in.

Everyone is welcome! Hundreds of volunteers of all ages and abilities join to enact the work of this yearly community rite as a puppet builder, performer, supporter, and/or community member calling for the Sun and the jubilant re-birth of the Tree of Life.

“Every year, beginning in February with community meetings, and culminating on the first Sunday in May, we wrestle with big issues and big ideas through community dialogue, art-making and play. The May Day Ceremony needs and invites many people to work together, crafting relationships that weave our community together in surreptitious ways.” – Sandy Spieler

volunteer with us!
Illustration of four black birds with green plants in their beaks.

GET INVOLVED

    • We need volunteers to perform in the Ceremony, build puppets, and help host & clean-up the Ceremony Site at Powderhorn Park.

    • Fill out this simple volunteer interest form to tell us your preferred ways of plugging in this year.

    • Or just show up to any Community Builds and Rehearsals!  ALL ARE WELCOME!

Illustration of ants carrying bricks around a tree

artwork by Orren Fen

    • Come build puppets for the Tree of Life Ceremony!

      • Ceremony Community Builds are:

        • Wednesday, April 1,  6-9pm

        • Wednesday, April 8,  6-9pm

        • Wednesday, April 15,  6-9pm

        • Wednesday, April 22,  6-9pm

        • Wednesday, April 29,  6-9pm

    • All Ceremony Community Builds are located at Semilla Center for Healing and the Arts. Semilla Center is located inside St. Paul’s Church / Iglesia San Pablo at 2742 15th Ave South (map).

    • We may also do some movement experimenting/rehearsing during the Community Build times.

    • Note: These community builds are to make the puppets for the CEREMONY. Those puppets may also be used in the Parade, however, this is NOT a general community build for making puppets for the PARADE only. All are welcome to help make puppets for the Ceremony!

    • All are welcome to perform in the Tree of Life Ceremony!

    • Community rehearsals will be held Saturday afternoons from 2-3:30pm at the Ceremony Site at Powderhorn Park (the west side of the park near the cement stage).

    • There is also a required dress rehearsal on the Saturday before Mayday, May 2.

      • Saturday, April 11, 2-3:30pm

      • Saturday, April 18, 2-3:30pm

      • Saturday, April 25, 2-3:30pm

      • FULL SHOW REHEARSAL - Sunday, April 26, 2-4pm

      • DRESS REHEARSAL - Saturday, May 2, 9am-12:30pm

Illustration of four black birds with green plants in their beaks.
Colorful sun face decoration with radiant beams hanging on a tree outdoors.

Mayday history

This website will eventually carry information about Mayday’s history, archives, and how people can contribute their own stories into a Mayday oral history collection.

For now, you can learn more about Mayday’s history in Minneapolis on Sandy Spieler’s website. 

mayday history archive