In winter, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board sets up a portable warming house and the lake is used for ice skating.

[7] The park and lake are used as the setting for the last act in the city's annual May Day parade (occurring on the first Sunday in May), which is a play in motion that has been running since 1975.

[8] As the parade runs south along Bloomington Avenue, participants wear a variety of costumes, and many manipulate giant puppets, all to produce a story that is based on sociopolitical themes including peace, environmentalism, current events, and others.

The Sun awakens the Tree of Life (a figure which includes a traditional maypole), and the crowd sings "You Are My Sunshine" to mark the banishment of another season of winter.

[16] An encampment for people experiencing homelessness emerged at Powderhorn Park in mid 2020 as a result of civil disorder in the aftermath of Floyd's murder.

[17] Some community members complained about the camp (which brought increased vehicle traffic, drugs, property damage, and at least two overdoses) and changed their behavior to avoid it, and others committed to not involving the police.

[17] Some community members delivered meals, medical care, and counseling and sought support from the American Indian Movement to monitor the area.