May Day Tour Maze Event: Complete Walkthroughs
The May Day Tour is a limited-time holiday event in Animal Crossing: New Horizons where you can visit a special new mystery island with special guest character Rover! Learn how to complete the maze and get all of the rewards available in this guide.
Guide Contents
How To Start May Day & Event Dates
The May Day Tour event in Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes place starting on April 29th running until May 7th! For this event, the dates are the same every year, including 2026 where it is held from April 29th, 2026 to May 7th, 2026.
When you play for the first time during this event period, you’ll receive a phone call from Tom Nook after stepping outside of your home inviting you to take the special tour.
To get your May Day Ticket and visit the event island, visit the Airport and speak to Orville at the counter! He’ll inform you that Tom Nook left a May Day Ticket at the airport with your name written on it. Use your free May Day Ticket at any time by selecting the “I wanna fly!” option followed by the “Use May Day Ticket” option presented to you by Orville.
What Is The May Day Tour Maze?
The May Day Tour Maze is a special maze puzzle in Animal Crossing: New Horizons found on a faraway island only accessible during the May Day event at the Airport. By navigating through the puzzle and meeting Rover at the end, you’ll receive a special prize.
When you arrive at the May Day Maze, your inventory will be empty without any tools, so you’ll have to find and craft new tools using the resources on the island.
Here’s our most important tips on how to solve the May Day Maze in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but you can find our complete 100% walkthroughs below if you need more in-depth help:
- Look for a blue cat named Rover sitting on the ground in the top right of maze — that’s your destination goal!
- Pick up tools, fruit, wood, and other resources to help clear a pathway to the goal. To cross a gap of water, you may need to come at it from a different angle.
- It’s key to use the landscaping powers of Animal Crossing to full effect! Remember that trees can be dug up and rocks can be broken by eating Fruit to gain energy.
- Once you consume a resource, you cannot get it back without restarting the maze, and you can get stuck if you are not careful.
- To reset the maze after a mistake, open your NookPhone and use the Rescue Service app on the second page by spending 100 Nook Miles.
- Hidden Bell Vouchers can be found in two locations on the maze, these are bonus items that can only be accessed after reaching Rover.
- You can only complete the May Day maze once per year on each character. However, playing on a second character is a valid workaround to visit the island again.
May Day Tour Maze Types & Designs
There are two different May Day Tour maze designs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, so you’ll need to identify the maze you’re on to use our walkthrough. In Version 2.0 and newer, the maze is determined as described below:
- May Day Tour Maze #1 (Flat) can be identified by looking for a single fruit to the left of the entrance, and no cliffs in sight. It’s seen during even years like 2026, 2024, 2022, and 2020.
- May Day Tour Maze #2 (Cliffs) can be identified by looking for two fruits to the left of the entrance arranged in a diagonal fashion, and multiple cliffs in sight. It’s seen during odd years like 2027, 2025, 2023, and 2021.
May Day Tour Maze #1 (Flat) Complete Walkthrough
If you find yourself on May Day Tour Maze #1, identified by looking for a single fruit to the left of the entrance and no cliffs in sight, then this walkthrough section is for you!
Step 1: Dig Up A Bush & A Tree
Start off this maze adventure by picking up the Shovel on the ground in front of you and digging up the bush blocking your native fruit to the left. Pick up the fruit and eat it, allowing you to dig up the tree blocking the path forward.
Step 2: Pick Up 4 Tree Branches, 1 Worn Axe, 1 Stone
After digging up the tree, proceed straight upwards jumping over the holes to make a loop around to the left, down, and right collecting a Tree Branch along the way.
You’ll arrive at a section with three different holes that you can jump over going south. Do so, and pick up the 3 Tree Branch, 1 Worn Axe, and 1 Stone found in these areas.
Step 3: Chop Down The Top Left Tree With Worn Axe
After collecting all those materials, head back to the left edge of the maze and upwards to a tree blocking off access to items behind it. Use the Worn Axe to chop down this tree and grab the 2 Fruit and 1 Tree Branch. This will sadly destroy your axe — they didn’t call it the Worn Axe for nothing!
Step 4: Break Rock in Bottom Left for Iron Nuggets
After taking care of that tree, head back south, then right, then south, then back left making a loop to a rock near the left edge of the maze.
Eat 1 Fruit to charge up energy and use your Shovel to break the rock. This will let you pick up the Iron Nugget waiting behind it, but leave the nearby tree alone for now — we’ll be back later.
Step 5: Pick Up 3 Wood & Break Another Rock
Once you’ve got that valuable Iron Nugget picked up, retrace your previous to return to the tree you chopped down in the top left of the maze, and then continue to the right following the path to the absolute far right edge of the maze where you can find 3 Wood to pick up.
Just a bit below the wood items, you will find another rock to break that’s blocking off access to more items and a hand dandy DIY Crafting Workbench. Eat another Fruit and use your Shovel to break the rock.
Step 6: Chop Another Tree & Craft Axes
Pick up another piece of Fruit on the other side of the rock. If for some reason you’re missing the Axe DIY recipe, you can pick it up on the ground here, but you shouldn’t need to. Finally, eat that Fruit you picked up to gain energy and dig up the tree blocking your path to the workbench.
Use the DIY Crafting Workbench to first craft a Flimsy Axe, and then a proper Axe using the materials you picked up throughout the maze. You’ve got all the tools required to escape the maze and meet Rover now.
Missing the materials to craft these items? Be sure to retrace your steps and hunt down any materials on the ground that you forgot to pick up!
Step 7: Chop Tree for Bonus Fruit
Head back up to where the last rock was, and proceed straight left jumping over the three holes in a row to find a tree blocking fruits. Chop this tree down with your new full-fledged Axe to pick up the 2 Fruit.
Technically, you don’t need to get these fruits if you only wish to finish the maze. But by getting these extra fruit, you can gather all nine Bell Vouchers available on the island and get 100% completion!
Step 8: Chop The Final 4 Trees To Find Rover!
Next, head upwards and loop around to the left, down, right, down, and left to the area on the far left edge of the maze where you previously found the Iron Nugget and left a tree behind earlier. Chop down that tree using your Axe.
Follow the linear path behind the chopped down tree jumping over the holes to pick up another Fruit to be used for hunting Bell Vouchers. Keep going north until you find three trees in a row at the very top of the island. Use your handy Axe to take them all out!
Congratulations — you completed the main part of the May Day maze! Chat with Rover to have this friendly cat introduce himself and promise you a prize in the mail for completing the maze.
If this is your first time completing a May Day maze, the Rover’s briefcase item will be mailed to you. If it’s your second time and you’ve completed the other maze type, the Rover’s photo item will be mailed to you.
Bonus Step 9: Dig Bushes & Break Rocks To Get Bell Vouchers
The first group of 4 Bell Vouchers can be found just to the left of Rover’s campsite behind a bush. Just dig up the bush to open up access to the four Bell Vouchers worth 12,000 Bells and pick them up!
A second group of 5 more Bell Vouchers can be accessed by digging two more bushes north to the ocean allowing access to the outer ‘ring’ of the island. Follow the outside path of the hedge fences all the way to the top left, and then straight down to the bottom left.
You’ll find three rocks in a row blocking off the set of 5 Bell Vouchers worth 15,000 Bells, which you can destroy by eating the three remaining fruit in your inventory if you did everything correctly. Break those rocks to get your final reward and 100% complete the May Day tour island!
May Day Tour Maze #2 (Cliffs) Complete Walkthrough
If you find yourself on May Day Tour Maze #2, identified by looking for two fruits to the left of the entrance arranged in a diagonal fashion and multiple cliffs in sight, then this walkthrough section is for you!
Step #1: Dig Bush & Tree With Shovel
Start the May Day Maze #2 by picking up the Shovel tool item found on the ground, and use the Shovel to dig up the bush towards the right with fruit behind it. Pick up the piece of Fruit, eat it, and use the Shovel to dig up the tree above.
Step #2: Pick Up 2 Wood, 2 Fruit, 1 Softwood In Three Areas
After digging up the tree, you can access multiple new areas of the maze. First, pick up the 2 Wood in the immediate center area. Next, walk to the far right area of the maze, jump over the water gap, and pick up 2 Fruit near a rock.
Finally, walk back to the far left area of the maze, dig up a bush in your path, jump over the water gap, and pick up 1 Softwood. You can also pick up the Ladder DIY recipe, but this is not required.
Step #3: Break Rock, Tree & Pick Up 2 Softwood, 2 Fruit
Eat 1 Fruit and use your Shovel to break the rock directly above you. Proceed up, then to the right across the water gap, and pick up 2 Softwood.
Next, eat 1 Fruit and dig the tree to the left. After clearing it, walk down and across the water gap to pick up 2 Fruit.
Step #4: Return To Right Side, Pick Up Fruit & Hardwood
Retrace your steps returning to the very right side of the island again where you picked up 2 Fruit earlier.
Eat 1 Fruit, break the rock directly below, pick up and eat 1 Fruit, and dig up the next tree to the left. Then pick up 2 Hardwood and walk up across the water gap.
Step #5: Dig Tree & Pick Up 2 Wood, 1 Softwood, 1 Fruit
Eat 1 Fruit and dig up the tree above you after crossing the water gap.
Pick up the 1 Softwood to the left area across another water gap, the 1 Fruit towards the top right, and the 2 Wood sneakily hiding behind two rows of hedge fencing.
Step #6: Return To Left Side & Pick Up 2 Hardwood
Retrace your steps returning to the very left side of the island again where the Ladder DIY was located.
Walk north on the left side across the water gap towards the DIY Workbench can be seen. Eat 1 Fruit to break the rock above you and pick up 2 Hardwood.
Step #7: Craft Ladder At DIY Workbench
If you’ve followed our directions correctly, you should now have 4 pieces of Wood, Softwood, and Hardwood — if not, retrace your steps and pick up everything!
That’s enough materials to craft a Ladder at the DIY Workbench, so go ahead and do just that.
Step #8: Climb Cliff To Get Worn Axe & Return To Top Right Side
After crafting a Ladder, walk straight down across the water gap and climb up on the Cliff holding a toolbox item using your Ladder.
Pick up the Worn Axe found on top of the Cliff, climb back down using your Ladder, and retrace your steps returning to the top right side of the island with a vertical row of three water gaps.
Step #9: Chop Down Tree With Worn Axe & Pick Up 2 Fruit On Cliff
Once at the top right area of the maze, walk left over middle water gap, and use your Worn Axe item to chop down the tree to the left. You can either dig up the stump or sit on it to pass.
Next, climb up the cliff with fruit using your Ladder, pick up 2 Fruit, and retrace your steps returning to the top left area of the maze where the DIY Workbench is.
Step #10: Dig Up 2 Trees & Climb Cliff With 3 Fruit
Walk up past the DIY Workbench where you previously destroyed a rock, and eat 2 Fruit. Dig up the two trees blocking passage to the right.
Next, proceed down and climb up the cliff sporting fruit with your Ladder. Pick up the 3 Fruit and climb back down the cliff to the right.
Step #11: Dig Bush & Tree To Climb Cliff With Rover
Walk to the right digging up the bush in the way, hopping over the water gap, and walking in a loop around the right side area of the maze until you are at the bottom of the three water gaps in the area.
Move up hopping over the three water gaps in a row until you are standing in front of the tree near Rover. Eat 1 Fruit and dig up the tree allowing you to climb up the final cliff with your Ladder to meet Rover.
Step #12: Talk To Rover
Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed this year’s May Day Tour maze. Make sure to speak with Rover, so you can listen to some new dialogue from this returning cat and ensure you receive a prize from him in the mail tomorrow!
If this is your first time completing a May Day maze, the Rover’s briefcase item will be mailed to you. If it’s your second time and you’ve completed the other maze type, the Rover’s photo item will be mailed to you.
Bonus Step #13: Climb Down To Left For Bell Vouchers
To completely finish the May Day Tour maze, you’ll want to follow a few more bonus steps allowing access to the 9 Bell Vouchers found on this island.
First, climb down the cliff on the left side and dig up the bush in front of you. Pick up the 4 Bell Vouchers accessible right below where the bush was.
Bonus Step #14: Walk Along Top Of Island & Pick Up 2 Fruit
Continue walking along the top side of the island until you reach a rock in the very top left corner. Eat 1 Fruit and break the rock to pick up 2 Fruit.
Bonus Step #15: Walk Down Beach To Bottom Left & Get Bell Vouchers
Walk down the left side beach towards the very bottom and eat 3 Fruit. Break the 3 rocks in a row and pick up the final 5 Bell Vouchers waiting for you!
May Day Tour Maze Prizes & Rewards
There are three different prizes you can win on May Day Tour island by completing the maze! You won’t actually be able to take these items with you in your inventory though — they’ll instead be mailed to you by Dodo Airlines or Rover the next day.
| Prize | How |
|---|---|
Rover's Briefcase | Complete May Day Tour Maze for the first time |
Rover's Photo | Complete May Day Tour Maze a second time |
9 Bell Vouchers(worth 27,000 Bells) | Hidden in two groups within each maze type |
Both of the Rover items cannot be purchased from the catalog, so hold onto them dearly! Rover’s photo comes in a random frame design variation. To get all nine of the Bell Vouchers each time, you must perfectly complete the maze.
How To Reset May Day Maze Island If You Mess Up & Get Stuck
If you happen to mess up while trying to escape the May Day Maze by digging up or chopping down the wrong trees and rocks, you can easily reset the island completely! You might need to do this to get all nine Bell Voucher prizes, or even just make it to Rover, as it’s not hard to screw up.
To reset the May Day island and maze in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, open your NookPhone and launch the Rescue Service app with the helicopter icon found on the second page. For just 100 Nook Miles, Resetti’s rescue crew can help you out by resetting the maze and bringing you back to the beginning of the island!
If you’ve already left the May Day Tour island though, you won’t be able to use Rescue Services to solve your problem. Another possible solution is to play on a secondary player character, which you can learn more about in our What To Do If You Mess Up & Get Stuck On May Day Maze Island article here.
Can You Take Home Bushes & Flowers From May Day Tour Island?
As tempting as it might be, don’t bother going around digging up all of the bushes on the May Day Tour island for keepsake purposes because you won’t be able to bring them with you. All of your items will be lost when you leave the island, except for the Rover’s Briefcase and Bell Voucher prizes you may have earned.
To get some of those beautiful bushes for your own island, be sure to hit up the special character Leif next time you spot him visiting your Resident Services plaza!
Where Are My May Day Tour Island Prizes & Items?
If you’ve gotten the Rover’s Briefcase, Rover’s Photo, and any handy Bell Vouchers on the May Day Tour island — don’t expect to find them in your inventory once you leave and find yourself home on your own island!
Don’t worry though, they haven’t disappeared from you. Instead, you can find either Rover reward and any Bell Vouchers you managed to pick up on your journey safely in your mailbox sent by Dodo Airlines or Rover. Be sure to check the mail before panicking!
Please feel free to help us out in the comments below if you have anything to share from playing the event yourself, or find any errors. Special thanks to Murray for contributing screenshots to the guide!