Saturday, May 31st | 11-3 PM

We Can’t Do It Without You!

Interested in meeting other parents and want to give back? Join the fun behind the fun and volunteer at Rites of May. Sign up to help!

50+ Years of fun + friendship

Join the Lab community on the Historic Campus for the 56th annual Rites of May celebration on Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 11-3 PM.

Rites of May is a time for Lab families to gather to play, meet new friends, and connect with old ones. Hosted on Lab School’s Historic Campus, there’s endless fun—bounce houses, face painting, performances, food, treats, games, and more. Stop by the booths to learn more about different Lab Affinity groups, or engage with high schoolers as they share a passion with the younger kids.

Whether it’s your first year with Lab, or you’re a veteran - Rites of May is a can’t-miss event. We’re so excited you’re part of the Lab family and we look forward to celebrating our community with you soon!

100% Volunteer-Led

Rites of May is planned, supported, and staffed entirely by parent and student volunteers. The secret to a great event is you! There are many ways to volunteer this year, we hope you can help in some small way!

Volunteer Opportunities at Rites of May

  • Pre-Rites of May

    • T-Shirt Sales: Starting in March, we will need parent volunteers to help sell t-shirts before and after school in front of Earl Shapiro Hall, and Blaine Hall. Shifts are under an hour, and a great way to meet other parents. Little helpers welcome too!

    • Set Up Friday: Hosting 2000+ people is a lot of work. We will need help on May 30 after school to set up dozens of tables for food and activities, hang signs, prepare tents, and get ready for Saturday.

    • Set up Saturday Morning: It’s the big day and we need lots of extra hands to finish setting up tables and booths, and tents to protect our kiddos from the sun.

  • Rites of May Event Support

    • Ticket Sales: Several food ticket sales areas will be set up this year to ease line length, we will need several folks to help us staff these tables.

    • Food Pick-Up: Have a car and some time before the event? We need a few extra helpers to drive to pick up the catering orders for the event.

    • Food Sales: Dumplings, empanadas, pizza, popcorn, hot dogs…the list goes on and on! There will be plenty of delicious food available at Rites of May and we need volunteers to help take tickets and serve up the food.

    • Wayfinding: A few volunteers will be posted around the event to help families find bathrooms, performance areas, booths, special snacks, and more.

    • Bounce House Extra Eyes: To help keep our littlest ones a little safer, and feeling more secure, we will have volunteers stationed by certain bounce houses to keep a few designated for younger kids so everyone can enjoy a fun bounce!

    • Booth Hosting: Part of an affinity group, club, or have a passion you’d like to share with the Lab community? Host a booth!

    • Breakdown: When the fun is over, we will need help breaking down the tents, chairs, signs, etc., and putting them away for next year.

Stay Tuned for T-Shirts

T-shirt designs and sales will be happening earlier this year with sales around Spring Break. More info to come soon!

FAQs

  • Rites of May will be held on the Historic Campus with the large bulk of activities hosted on Kenwood Mall. As we all know from drop off and pick up, it can get very congested and parking will fill up quickly. If you can, we encourage you to walk or bike. There are bike racks available AND the UCPD will be present and ready to register bikes too!

  • Rites of May will be canceled in the event of heavy rain. The Planning Committee is keeping a careful (and hopeful) eye on the weather and will send out a message by 8 AM Saturday morning if the event will be canceled for weather.

  • Admission is FREE this year. We recommend you bring your appetite and either cash, card, or tap-to-pay to take advantage of the delicious food offerings (menu below). Other items we recommend:

    -Sunscreen

    -Refillable water bottles - we will have a water truck to cut down on plastic waste this year

    -Picnic blanket - seating may be limited at tables, but there will be space outside to sit in the grass

    -Packable bag - we have more booths than ever this year and they will be giving away all sorts of crafts and goodies

  • We will have several members of our safety and security team at the event keeping an eye on things. Additionally, we will have volunteers roaming to help.

    If you are separated from your child, we will have a child reunification point at our Information Desk near the stage (see map below). In addition to child reunification, the Information Desk will also be our first aid station.

    Gates on the North and South ends of Kenwood Mall and the gate by Gordon Parks Arts Hall will be open and you do not need your badge to get in.

  • Please reach out to ritesofmay@ucls.uchicago.edu.

  • Rites of May is a ton of fun but it can be overwhelming for toddlers (and their parents). Inside Lower Kovler Gym, we will have a quiet corner with some books and there will be tables available to have some food and a recharge. Outside, by Gordon Parks Arts Hall, we will have bubbles and chalk and encourage families to bring picnic blankets to relax and let little ones play on the grass. The hills make for excellent (and safe) rolling fun as an alternative to the rowdier bouncehouses.

  • Yes! Students in need of service hours can earn up to 8 hours helping to support Rites of May. To volunteer, students must fill out this form.