May Day fest returns to south Minneapolis but without parade

The May Day festival will return this year to south Minneapolis with a new look — and no parade.

After two years off, the nonprofit behind the long-running rite of spring announced that it will host a "political-cultural festival" May 1 on Lake Street with new partners.

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre is working with south Minneapolis-based organizations Migizi, Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue and Roosevelt High School to stage the celebrations.

A group of artists and local leaders have "spent the past two years designing a new, equitable path for May Day," according to the Heart of Beast statement. "The intention is to carry this much loved tradition forward centering principles of justice and collaboration, prioritizing the experiences of people of color."

The "political-cultural festival" will feature art projects and games, speeches by activists and performances by Ketzalcoatlicue Aztec dancers. A medicine woman mojiganga, a traditional Mexican puppet, will welcome festivalgoers.

For decades, Heart of the Beast hosted a political, fantastical puppet-packed parade and celebration in Powderhorn Park. In 2019, some 75,000 people attended the festivities.

But later that year — and well before the pandemic hit — the nonprofit announced that it would take 2020 off to remake the events, improving them for artists and audiences of color.