The issue of water is "at the core of many challenging environmental and human rights situations," organizers said. "It is possible that the peace of this century will be waged by the way we share and protect the water."

Groups in the parade and festival events will focus on the theme. "Water is essential for all life, flowing through each of the living beings of Earth, in an immense and constant journey around the planet. Water literally connects us to all life."

The parade will run from 1 to 3 p.m. along Bloomington Avenue, ending at Powderhorn Park. More than 2,000 people are expected to march, dance and play instruments in the parade, while thousands more watch.

At the park, the festival will featured a 200-person pageant that re-tells the story of the parade, with children and adult dancers, puppeteers, a live orchestra and four giant serene puppets who represent the Prairie, Sky, River, and Woods. It culminates in the Tree of Life Ceremony: to the steady beating of drums, a resplendent red Sun Flotilla paddles the Sun from across the lake to the shore where the Tree of Life sleeps, waiting to be reawakened.

The parade and festival are coordinated by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, which has organized the event since 1975. That year, just two weeks after the end of the Vietnam War, a handful of people gathered to express their joy. Today, the Minneapolis event is one of the largest in the country to celebrate May Day.

To enter a group in the parade, volunteer and for other information, go to www.hobt.org/mayday/index.html