Mayworks Festival 2025
The 40th annual Mayworks Festival of Working People & the Arts bears witness to the strength, struggle and imagination of communities seeking labour justice, land sovereignty and dignified life.
Whether working in multi-channel video, experimental film, a walking tour, sculpture-based installation, poetry, theatre, or mural art on the Steelworkers Building, the artists work within an honoured tradition of artistic practices engaged in social change.
The works question migrant labour practices, forced displacement, as well as the unbridled expansion of gig work. They explore our fears of organizing, the realities of incarceration, unexplained disappearances, and the resistance that continues to propel us forward.
Marking our 40th anniversary, we acknowledge the many people who have come before us, whose values and commitments have led to Mayworks continued presence as Canada’s largest and longest-running labour arts festival. In their honour, we are excited to launch our Digital Festival Archive, a contemporary tool which brings together 40 years of festival programs, searchable by artist.
Engage in the artwork of our time! All programs are free, some require registration. Join us.
May 2
Festival Launch: Who’s Afraid of Labour Justice?
Panel Discussion, Live Performance, and Dinner
May 3 - May 30
Who’s Afraid of Labour Justice? Exhibition
Curated by Furqan Mohamed, with Nahomi Amberber, Saysah, and Farah Ghafoor
May 3
Who’s Afraid of Labour Justice? Opening Reception
With Nahomi Amberber, Saysah, Farah Ghafoor, and Furqan Mohamed
May 4
West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty (1979)
Film Screening + Panel Discussion with Caribbean Solidarity Network
May 7 - May 11
BASTA! NO MORE FEAR! Remembering the Hoggs Hollow Disaster of 1960
By the Toronto Workers’ Theatre Group
May 9 - July 26
Parallel Histories: An Anniversary Exhibition
Curated by Florencia Berinstein, presented with the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre
May 10
I’m Still Here (2024)
Film Screening + Opening Remarks with Latin American & Caribbean Solidarity Network
May 10 - May 31
We Are Free
Exhibition by Andre Mandela Lopez with Latin American & Caribbean Solidarity Network
May 10
We Are Free Opening Reception & Peña
With Andre Mandela Lopez and Latin American & Caribbean Solidarity Network
May 15
Tall el-Zataar (1977)
Film Screening + Discussion, presented with Toronto Palestine Film Festival
May 17
Parallel Histories: An Anniversary Celebration
Exhibition Reception, presented with the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre
May 24
Banging on the Walls of the Tank: Dispatches from Gaza
Book Talk + Short Film Screening with Haidar Eid
May 31
Con la Fuerza de los Ancestros / With the Strength of the Ancestors
Live Mural Painting with Andre Mandela Lopez