Photos courtesy of Eliza Rinn, unless noted otherwise
The colorful, sea-inspired Mermaid Parade splashes back onto the Coney Island boardwalk this weekend for its 43rd year. Hosted by the nonprofit Coney Island USA, the beloved event is the nation’s largest art parade, drawing around 5,000 participants in hand-crafted, sea-themed costumes and elaborate floats. This year’s celebration takes place on Saturday, June 21, at 1 p.m., rain or shine.
Founded by the nonprofit in 1983, the Mermaid Parade is an homage to the neighborhood’s Mardi Gras parades from the early 20th century. Celebrating ancient mythology and seaside rituals, the parade shows off the city’s creativity and community pride.
Visitors can expect to see vibrant costumes and floats, marching bands, drill teams, dancing, antique cars, and more, as 6sqft previously reported.
The parade kicks off at 1 p.m. at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue. It then proceeds east along Surf Avenue to West 10th Street, turns south toward the boardwalk, and continues west to Steeplechase Plaza.
This year, Eugene Hütz, singer of the Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello, and New York–based singer, songwriter, and performance artist Queenie Sateen will serve as King Neptune and Queen Mermaid. In keeping with tradition, the pair will be wheeled through the parade in an antique wicker boardwalk chair dating back to 1923.
Previous King Neptunes and Queen Mermaids have included Lou Reed, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Annabella Sciorra, Harvey and Daphne Keitel, and other famous figures.
“Our King and Queen this year are two amazingly talented and artistic New Yorkers,” Adam Rinn, Coney Island USA’s Artistic Director, said. “I’ve been a fan of Gogol Bordello since their first album came out. Eugene basically created Gypsy Punk!”
Quinn continued: “Queenie has been a fixture on the club scene for some time. She was one half of the duo Sateen and her first solo single ‘Downfalling’ comes out just a week after the Mermaid Parade! We’re so excited to welcome these two boundary-pushing artists as our royalty.”
At 4 p.m., Rinn will lead the King and Queen in a procession to the beach on 19th Street, where they will officially open the beach for the summer swimming season.
Parade registration takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot between West 21st and West 22nd Streets along Surf Avenue. Learn more about the Mermaid Parade here.
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