Coney Island Mermaid Parade takes place every year by the sea in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, in very late May or very early June. The Parade is a lively and welcoming ocean-themed event, which is open to all comers.
The tradition of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade began in 1983, when the first event of this kind was conceptualized and organized by Dick Zigun, who is sometimes dubbed the "Mayor of Coney Island", and who was the founder of the non-profit arts group Coney Island USA.
The Mermaid Parade is held in celebration of the beginning of the summer season, and so it takes place annually on the first Saturday of summer, regardless of the weather. The exact date of the parade is the first Saturday after Memorial Day. (Memorial Day falls is observed on the last Monday in the month of May, and in the USA that day is widely considered to be the first day of summer.)
The event pays homage to the tradition of the Coney Island Mardi Gras parades of the very early 20th century, when Coney Island was at its zenith as the primary amusement destination for the great majority of the inhabitants of New York City. Similar in spirit to the annual Village Halloween Parade, the mermaid parade is the closest thing New York has to a Mardi Gras.
The event sometimes attracts a couple of thousand actual participants, along with hundreds of thousands of spectators, some of whom have traveled to Coney Island's beach primarily to escape the heat which often marks the beginning of summer.
The Mermaid parade is well-known for extraordinary marine costumes, and partial nudity. (This is not as surprising as it may sound, because it is legal in New York State for women to be topless in public, as long as this is not part of a business venture.) There are sections in the parade for vehicles of all kinds, for floats, for groups, and for individuals. Mermaids and sea creatures of all shapes and sizes are represented, and the audience is festive and appreciative.
Each year the Mermaid Parade features a merman and mermaid King and Queen. In 2005 the King was David Johansen (Buster Poindexter) and the Queen was Karmen Guy (Mad Juana). In other years, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Adam Savage, and Moby have filled the royal seats. The organizers claim to encourage bribery, so that participants have a better chance to win the various costume contests which are also part of the day's entertainment.
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