CELEBRATION

May Day in Minneapolis

A city turns out

All images by author unless otherwise indicated.

May Day weekend 2026 started, for my band, and therefore, for me, on Friday, May 1 with a parade which, while not so well attended or organized as the Sunday parade described below, was suitably lefty and stopped periodically for short speeches by local labor organizers as well as representatives from the Socialist Labor party.

May Day is a bigger deal in Minneapolis than it is in many US cities. This year was especially poignant. It’s been a rough year for Minneapolis, courtesy of Donald Trump and his army of masked thugs.

Pretty sure this was the Friday parade. All subsequent images by the author unless otherwise noted.

I don’t know how long that Friday parade was, but by the end I was exhausted and starved. Up since early that morning in order to catch my flight from Boston. Walking two miles playing a large wind instrument. This sort of thing is becoming increasingly taxing for this 75-year-old. I perceive a switch to the washboard in my future.

I passed on the after-party. All I wanted was sleep — took the first available ride back to the AirBnB.

My roommate snored like a semi.

Saturday morning I knew I had to say something, so led with “You know I love you…” He was really nice about it and swapped sleeping spaces with another of my bandies.

Saturday began with a moving “Say Their Names” ceremony in Memorial Ponds Park. It included names of recent, relatively unknown victims of police violence, along with names you may have heard in the news.

If you check this link you can see that the words “SAY THEIR NAMES” are visible from above.

Following that we moved to George Perry Floyd Sq. for sets by ourselves, Forward Marching Band, and the organizers of the event, Brass Solidarity, among others.

Musicians and others on George Floyd Square.

Forward! Marching Band, George Floyd Square.

George Floyd Square

The best food around was served by a little barbecue joint, the name of which I wish I had somehow recorded so I could shout it out. The single individual who staffed it had to man the register and cook, but the results were great! Word got around. He certainly cleaned up that day.

That evening I attended the after-party, which was located in a building also occupied by an arts collective responsible for some of the floats that would roll the next day.

Such after-parties are always great fun. There was a cash bar and free food.

After a couple of beers I was ready for karaoke. I even had backup!

Yours truly cutting loose with “Me and Mrs. Jones.”

The “official” Minneapolis May Day parade this year took place on Sunday May 3rd.

In the image above you can’t see much of the parade itself, but look at the crowds. As a member of an activist street band, I’ve played in many parades. In general you will see density like that periodically along any given parade route, with sporadic attendance between. However, in the case of this mile+ long parade, which terminated at Powderhorn Park, the crowds on both sides of the street were at least as dense as this along the entire route.

Powderhorn Park

The mood was celebratory. The people of this city are justly proud of having stood up to thuggery. As you know if you follow the news, Citizens and local leaders worked together, at great personal risk, to drive out the thugs.¹ The floats were the product of local artists and art collaboratives, with nary a bank or other bastion of capitalism in sight. Maybe they did not want to be seen among the anti-I.C.E. sentiments expressed by the floats that did float.

Photo by my fellow musician Abe Dane. Used by permission.

Dinosaurs!

Following this parade it was time to get to the airport. For ERB, the entire thing went as smoothly as anyone could hope for, thanks to the efforts and cooperation of band members. When I originally learned about the invitation from Brass Solidarity, my thought was, that sounds like a lot of bother. Catching flights, schlepping my horn in its hard case all over two airports…² Then I recalled something I read about regret, that people experience more regret over the things they did not do than the things they did. This was clearly a thing to do. Doing things with ERB is always fun. I am so thankful I psyched myself up for it.

Me in Minneapolis with a few of my friends. Used by permission.

¹ Not that there are no longer any I.C.E. agents in Minneapolis, but it is nothing like it was. I spoke to people who described how scary it was to be under occupation.

² Band members stepped forward to help me. It was a good time to play the age card. One made a good point by describing it as paying it forward.

So many thanks to Chris Yanda for editing, in particular for alerting me to many unnecessary words.

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