Celebrate May Day in Minneapolis with In the Heart of the Beast’s Spectacular May Day Parade this Sunday
Exquisitely crafted expressive giants, magically whimsical floats, tallbikes, and people of all descriptions will parade down Bloomington Avenue this Sunday for In the Heart of the Beast's 33rd annual May Day Parade. A grand spectacle and a grand tradition, the parade put on by Minneapolis’ renowned puppet and mask theater draws tens of thousands every May. A full two thousand are participants, mostly community volunteers. Each year the participants develop a theme. Turtles, jellyfish, water lily people and a float with a flowing stream reflect this year’s theme—water.
The parade culminates in a ceremony on the pond in Powderhorn Park. Two hundred dancers, puppeteers and musicians partake in the pageant which tells of the symbolic return of the Sun to the sleeping Tree of Life. Festivities at Powderhorn follow.
The May Day Parade starts at Bloomington Ave South and 25th St East at 1:00pm this Sunday and ends at Powderhorn Park at 3:00pm. The ceremony begins at 3:30 in the park. A map of the exact route is available at In the Heart of the Beast’s website. If you have a little extra time, you might also consider volunteering for the event. It will earn you a free t-shirt, and even better, a ticket to one of In the Heart of the Beast’s mainstage performances.
