Mayday Festival of Resistance 2024

The Mayday Festival of Resistance is a free outdoor community celebration of International Workers Day. The annual concert+party will take place this year on Saturday, May 4th, 2024 in Maria Hernandez Park in the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn. The volunteer-led event will feature performances by local musical acts, including Mayday's youth cumbia band, DJs, resource tables from an array of housing and food justice community organizations, and art-making activities for kids. Cultural workers and grassroots groups  will inform residents about their rights as tenants, immigrants, and workers. Speakers will highlight recent wins by workers on the frontlines and other ongoing labor struggles across NYC. It’s a day of music, art, and joyful resistance, where neighbors come together to build solidarity, mutual aid and people power.

We have a dedicated crew of volunteers who are already meeting in working groups to prepare each aspect of the festival, including:

• Secure park and sound permits from the city 
• Confirm bands, DJ, and cultural groups to perform
• Design a flyer and do outreach to promote the event
• Plan the program, including know-your-rights workshop leaders and speakers from workers groups that have won recent victories or have ongoing campaigns
• Confirm community organizations who will  lead teach-outs and materials for tabling at the event, e.g. info on local resources and groups working on housing, food, immigration, and other issues
• Rent, buy, or get donations of the necessary equipment:  tents, tables, microphones, generator 
• Schedule art builds with our community to create banners and other decoration 
• Recruit and organize volunteers for setup, cleanup, and other roles on the day of the event

We’re bringing the neighborhood together to strengthen local organizing efforts, and build the global movement for justice. This festival, which in past years has been a dynamic and welcoming space for folks to gather and enjoy music and sunshine, is needed now more than ever.  Our flagship festival honoring International Workers Day continues to expand exponentially and we'll be taking over public space at Maria Hernandez Park offering teach-outs on eviction and legal defense, street vendor support and know your rights trainings. This year's festival will be the first outdoor showcase of our youth music program led by artist-in-residence, Sebastian Angel. It will also feature a public recitation on the history of May Day through painted banners (cantastoria) designed by participants of our visual arts program led by artist-in-residence, Crystal Clarity.