A May Day Merriment

Silhouette of a tree with a wide canopy and a straight trunk against a black background.
Silhouette of a tree with a wide canopy and a straight trunk against a black background.

Our community May Day celebration in Prospect Park!

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Join us at the Park Circle Lawn in Prospect Park for a free, family-friendly afternoon of guided circle dancing, May Pole decorating, and tarot card reading!

Alkemie members will also be joined by students from two local universities for this special event. Brooklyn College undergraduate students will demonstrate aspects of medieval asceticism by re-performing the behavior of medieval stylites, anchorites, hermits, and pilgrims. Interpreters will be on hand to help you understand how medieval ascetic practices can still teach us a lot in 2026 about the human condition.

The Fordham Medieval Dramatists will present the spectacular, interactive outdoor staging ofthe 13th-century animal fable, The Fox and the Wolf, bringing Reynard the fox, Sigrim the wolf, Chaunticleer the cock, and a flock of befuddled friars to present-day NYC.

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SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2026

Tickets are free, but please register in advance for schedule and location updates!

REGISTER: May Day // Sunday, May 3 from 2:00-5:00 pm // Prospect Park, Brooklyn REGISTER: May Day // Sunday, May 3 from 2:00-5:00 pm // Prospect Park, Brooklyn REGISTER: May Day // Sunday, May 3 from 2:00-5:00 pm // Prospect Park, Brooklyn
REGISTER: May Day // Sunday, May 3 from 2:00-5:00 pm // Prospect Park, Brooklyn
from $0.00

Tickets are free, please register for event and location updates.
General = Free, Supporter = $25 donation

Time/Date: Sunday, May 3 from 2:00-5:00 pm
Location: The Park Circle Lawn, Prospect Park
by the intersection of Parkside Avenue and Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225

Meet Eleanor Lincoln — Our May Day Dance Caller

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Eleanor Lincoln

Glossary of May Day-Related Words

anchorite - one who lives in place-bound isolation, usually connected to a church.

circle dance - social dance led by a caller and performed to musical accompaniment.

hermit - one who lives in solitude; not necessarily tied to a fixed place.

May Pole - a tall pole with long ribbons attached to the top that people hold to create patterns while dancing around it.

medieval drama - a public and interactive form of allegorical theater, often involving elements of morality and comedy.

pilgrim - a pious venturer

stylite - a “pillar-dweller”

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ARTISTS

     Tracy Cowart (harp, percussion)

Ben Matus (recorders, bagpipes, percussion)

San Ricketts (bagpipes, recorders, douçaines)

Spiff Wiegand (percussion)

~with~

Eleanor Lincoln (dance caller)

Brooklyn College

Fordham Medieval Dramatists