Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Day Tour explained - Everything you need to know

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Day Tour is here, the latest in the new series of events coming to your island over the next month or so. It's a celebration of the start of the month, along with your hard work, and runs from May 1 - 7. 

During this event, you'll be able to get a special May Day Tour Ticket, which work a little differently to the regular Nook Miles Tickets

Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Day Tour - How it works

(Image credit: Nintendo)

During the event, Isabelle will let you know that Tom Nook has a special May Day Ticket to give you, so make sure to head over to Resident Services as soon as possible to collect your gift. 

Tom Nook will explain that the event is meant to be a thank you for all the hard workers, particularly those that have made the island more beautiful - aka you, you Resident Representative you. 

He'll make sure that there's a special May Day Ticket at the airport for you, and you can redeem it any time between Friday, May 1 and Thursday, May 7.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

From there, it's just a case of heading over to the airport to use your May Day Ticket whenever you'd like between that time. To use it, just hit the normal 'I'd like to fly' option as you would for a Nook Miles Ticket, and it'll take you to a special ANimal Crossing: New Horizons May Day Tour destination. But not before stripping you of everything you've got on you - bar your clothes, of course, the Dodos aren't totally crazy. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Day Tour Tickets

(Image credit: Nintendo)

When you arrive at the special Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Day Tour destination, Wilbur will inform you that this mysterious new island is a giant maze that you've got to make your way through. You'll have no tools or anything you may have had in your pockets to help you, but if you get stuck you can still call the Rescue Services from your phone to deposit you back at the landing pier so you can start again. 

Interestingly, it seems Wilbur might have a hit or two for you as well. 

From here though, you'll need to figure your way through the maze, which consists of a series of puzzles to solve by using your Animal Crossing: New Horizons know-how. Each maze will no doubt be built differently, so a few basic tips for you below:

  • Eat fruit to be able to dig up trees with the shovel you'll find
  • You don't need fruit to dig up bushes
  • You can't remove fences
  • Push in a direction to jump over small holes
  • A worn axe only lasts long enough to chop down one tree
  • You can't get resources by hitting rocks
  • You can dig up tree stumps with your shovel
  • Use fruit as little as you can
  • Remember the location of key resources and items as you navigate the maze

Your reward for completing the maze will be a selection of Bell Vouchers, which you'll be able to exchange when you're back on your island. But, as you reach the end, you'll also encounter a special guest - Rover - who'll give you a reward: Rover's Briefcase.

Any Bell Vouchers, along with Rober's Briefcase, will be mailed to your home when you leave the island. Anything else you've picked up along the maze won't be kept though. 

Bell Vouchers can be redeemed by 'selling' them to Tommy and Timmy at Nook's Cranny too. They're worth 3,000 Bells each. 

Who is the special guest?

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Now Rover has an interesting history in the Animal Crossing series, and from when you talk to him after finishing the maze it sounds like he's about to make a comeback in some form. He's a well-travelled pussycat, with plenty of backstory. 

Initially, way back in Animal Forest and Animal Crossing, he would set-up your game for the first time, setting up the time, date, the player character and the town in which you live, meeting you on the train en route to your town. 

He plays a much smaller role in Animal Crossing: Wild World, but then in Animal Crossing: City Folk he's the cat that meets you on the bus driven by Kapp'n who'll ask you question that will determine your gender and name, along with your town's name. 

It's the same for Animal Crossing: New Leaf too, with Rover appearing on the same train as you, and again asking you questions that will set up the game. 

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Of course, in New Horizons, all of his previous roles have been taken over by Timmy and Tommy prior to you arriving on your island. However, he clearly hints that he's could become a bit more of a regular Animal Crossing: New Horizons visitor, although it's unclear what role he would take if he made a comeback. 

Can you get another May Day Tour ticket?

Despite the fact Wilbur says that you won't be able to return to this May Day Tour again, it doesn't look like there's an option to go on another May Day Tour, or obtain a second (or more) May Day Ticket. This is a one-hit wonder, so enjoy the ride while it lasts. There's always next May Day. 

Sam Loveridge
Global Editor-in-Chief, GamesRadar+

Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.