Coney Island came alive Saturday as crowds marked the start of summer with the 43rd annual Mermaid Parade.
Billed as the largest art parade in the U.S., the Mermaid Parade was an eclectic congregation of families, drag queens, artists and a surplus of glitter. The route stretched from West 21st Street to 10th Street and brought in an estimated 5,000 participants.
“The freaks come out in Coney Island,” said Prospect Lefferts Garden resident Shauna Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said she was attending the parade for the first time this year with Joel Vazquez, a friend. She spent two and a half hours getting ready on Saturday morning and an additional hour and a half making the costume in the weeks prior.
As an artist, she jumped at the opportunity to express herself creatively. “You can’t just pull up to work like this,” she laughed.
Businesses and vendors were all in on the event. Cyclone Bagels boasted an array of shimmery purple and turquoise bagels, while Coney Island Sandbar, a local bar, featured DJs and live music throughout the day.
Adam Rinn, the parade’s creative director, was excited about the sunshine that greeted throngs of spectators. “It drives much-needed business to the amusement district, especially after the last month and a half of rainy weekends,” he said.
King Neptune, Eugene Hütz, and Queen Mermaid Queenie Sateen led the parade in the traditional antique wicker chair that has been in use since 1923.
Programming began at 1:00pm, but eager onlookers dotted the parade route hours prior, despite the heat. One mother-daughter duo, Brenda and Sarah Moreno, clad in sparkles and scaly skirts, said they commuted from the Bronx to arrive at 10:00am.
For participants, the Mermaid Parade serves as a tribute to Coney Island and the vibrant counterculture it produces.
Coney Island USA, the organizer of the parade, outlines three goals of the event: to bring mythology to life for local residents; create self-esteem in a district that is often disregarded; and to let artistic New Yorkers find self-expression in public.
Residents and visitors may face a changing Coney Island, should developers behind The Coney win a casino license later this year.
“I just want Coney Island to stay like this,” Brenda Moreno said.
Jimmy Grant, who marched alongside a car draped in a pride flag and a hand-painted "NO CASINO" sign, characterized the event as “Halloween in June with a mer-vibe.”
His group, The World Famous Merfolx, is an LGBTQ+ group of artists from Brooklyn and the Rockaways. He’s been marching with the organization for the past five years and called it a chance to “fly your freak flag.”
Crowd favorites Brian and Michael Dillon were among the participants. Brian said his brother Michael makes him a different hat for the occasion every year, some that are featured in the Coney Island Circus Sideshow venue.
Michael Dillon said the hats take him between 12 and 20 hours to make. This year’s hat, which featured blonde mermaids, were complemented by a cape that was once used as a tablecloth at his wedding.
Brian Dillon stressed the importance of keeping Coney Island as a historic amusement district. “It’s a place everyone can go,” he said. “It should be preserved!”
