May Day is quite the event in Berlin. Legends have it that witches gather, cackle and revel on Walpurgisnacht, the night from 30 April 30th to May 1st. In Berlin, the first of May was an important East German holiday, and it's still International Worker's Day, a celebration of labour movements and left-wing movements. Traditional leftist May Day riots usually started on Walpurgis Night in Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg. Now the anarchists, leftist crowd, punks (and riot tourists, seriously, they come in by the busload) hold demonstrations and/or go crazy on May first in Kreuzberg, burning cars, breaking windows, showing a general disdain for police – luckily the Miniloft apartments are far from the madding crowd!
The less hooliganish (but hopefully no less riotous) tradition of Tanz in der Mai is a sweeter tradition. Everyone should get out and go a little wild, dancing all night and welcoming spring. There's always a feeling of unbridled magic in the air...