We are the May Day Marching Band, an inclusive community-based band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our band formed in 2009 as part of the first annual May Day Parade in Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill neighborhood. Since then, our presence in the community has continued to expand. We play for public events, protests, parties, people, and ideas — we party for causes, dreams, and just plain fun.

We hold open practices every week, welcoming new members of any background or musical skill level. We have no fixed membership, no auditions, and no hierarchy — anyone interested is encouraged come play with us and help us keep deciding who we are and what we do.

We’ve played as far afield as Toronto and Detroit, but our heart and soul is in Pittsburgh. From protests and marches to art and theater events, from collaborating with a local high school marching band to surprising everyone at a local bar on Halloween, we’re here to celebrate anything that might make everything better.