3rd annual Youngstown May Day Festival returns April 29-30

April 29, 2023

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3rd annual Youngstown May Day Festival set for April 29-30 — Organizer Youngstown Solidarity says the celebration will bring together many communities from across the Mahoning Valley “to celebrate human rights and the bounty of nature.” Events occur rain or shine, with provisions made for inclement weather. (Youngstown Solidarity)

The third annual Youngstown May Day Festival returns this weekend with presentations, music, food, vendors, and arts and crafts. The family-friendly event occurs noon-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Calvin Center, 755 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown.

Youngstown Solidarity says the celebration will bring together many communities from across the Mahoning Valley “to celebrate human rights and the bounty of nature.” Events occur rain or shine, with provisions made for inclement weather.

The festival will include more than 50 tables of local community organizations and vendors, as well as the Public Library’s Pop-Up Library and ACTION’s Mobile Market.

The two-day festival officially opens at 2 p.m. with a Mahoning Trumbull Workers Memorial Ceremony, which honors workers who died on the job site. The program is co-sponsored by the Workers United and the AFL-CIO.

Speakers and roundtables

“The Fight for East Palestine Justice” roundtable. 3 p.m., Saturday (Chapel).
“Fighting SOBE Energy” and toward a green future roundtable. 4 p.m., Saturday (Chapel).
“Stop Cop City: Report back and letter writing to incarcerated Forest Defenders with Sea.” 4 p.m., Saturday (Yoga Room).
“Ending Mass Incarceration and Changing Policy” roundtable. 5 p.m., Saturday (Chapel).
“Climate and Diet.” Presented by Chris Flak. 5 p.m., Saturday (Yoga Room).
“How to Art a Riot: Zine Making and the Argument for Zines a Political Praxis.” Presented by Mitch M. 1 p.m., Sunday (Yoga Room).
“Starbucks and Amazon Organizing Efforts.” Presented by Joe Dantona. 2 p.m., Sunday, (Chapel).
“Paganism and Environmentalism: An Intersection with James.” 3 p.m., Sunday (Chapel).
“The History of Popular Resistance to the Railroad Companies from the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 to East Palestine.” Presentation by local historian and author Sean T. Posey. 4 p.m., Sunday (Chapel).
“The Fight for Bodily Autonomy: Trans Rights, Repro Justice & Medical Privacy” roundtable. 5 p.m., Sunday (Chapel).

Other programs and activities

Music – Performers include Leather and Lace Acoustic, Ruby Jean Hornsby, Miss Dreadful, Danny McMaster, Jonathan Blackshire, Crash the Great, Danny McMaster, Indig0Forest, Tom Cvetkovich, Evan Bloom, and Gary Taneri. Performances occur Saturday and Sunday at indoor and outdoor stages. In addition, there will be periodic pauses for traditional maypole dances, which will be done around the festival’s 30-foot maypole.

Crafts – The event will include crafts, including flower crowns and herb wands, intention pots, yarn-wrapped bracelets, mini-magazines (zines), chalk drawing, seed bombs, sticker and badge-making. Programs occur Saturday and Sunday (outdoors and inside Calvin Center).

Demonstrations – Includes healthy eating and climate change, making enzymes for cleaning, and a gung fu tea ceremony as tradition and meditation. Programs occur Saturday and Sunday.

Food – Vendors include Krooked Kitchen, All Things Edible, and Bre’s Patisserie.

For more information, visit Youngstown May Day Festival on Facebook or email

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Calvin Center for the Arts

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