May Day is the essence of spring, a day of renewal and celebration of the season. Kennebunk made the most of the good cheer Saturday, hosting an all-day festival with a parade, live music, crafts and maypole dancing.

The highlight of the day was the parade along Main Street, which featured the Shoestring Theater, the Gym Dandies, classic cars, local marching bands, the Dunlop Highland Band and, of course, the Shriners and their go-karts.

Additional Photos

Willow West, 2, of Kennebunkport holds onto her crown while attending a fairy program at the Kennebunk Free Library. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Young festival-goers dance around the maypole in Lafayette Park. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

Dancers from the Portland School of Ballet perform Saturday during Kennebunk's 13th annual May Day Festival. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

A young dance spectator rests her wings. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

Greg Frangolis of Portland's Shoestring Theater performs on stilts during the festival parade. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

Human puppets from Shoestring dance their way down Main Street. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

Lafayette Park was the site of maypole dancing led by the Portland School of Ballet, with musical performances throughout the day by the Kennebunk River Band, the Little Melodies Band and the Ketchfish Blues Band.

If those signs of spring weren’t enough for festival-goers, the season showed its colors in a more down-to-earth way: the opening of the local farmers market.