Minneapolis held its 41st annual MayDay parade—this year “rising to end any and all forms of racial oppression. So that all can breathe full and limitlessly and know they are free and divine,” according to this year’s parade paper.

Every spring the MayDay parade is celebrated on Bloomington Avenue where dancing, singing and story telling all take place. The event consists of three parts: the parade, the ceremony and lastly a festival held in Powderhorn park in south Minneapolis which tends to go until dusk.

The first MayDay festival was held in 1975 and consisted of only 50-60 people and just two puppets, two accordions, a few birds, and a banner.

It was originally created as gift to the community to support the theatre and bring people together and since then has grown to an event that draws crowds of over 20,000 and consists of many different floats attempting to bring attention to different issues.