Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2016
Last year, crappy weather prevented me from going to the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, but I've been eager to go back since I first went in 2014. Started in 1983, the Mermaid Parade is so uniquely New York that I can't really imagine it taking place anywhere else but Coney Island. It marks the unofficial start of summer, featuring more than 3,000 artists from all over paying homage to mermaids, Neptune and all things of-the-sea—and because this is New York, pretty much anything else.
Every year a new Queen Mermaid and King Neptune are crowned. In 2014 it was Mayor deBlasio's children, Dante and Chiara, and this year model Hailey Clauson and President and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Carlo A. Scissura, took the reins. The best part about the Mermaid Parade, however, is how very unlike every other parade it is—there are no corporate floats, no one passing out flyers, no one soliciting votes. I suppose it does feel a little like the Halloween Parade, but more organized, joyful and well-lit.
As expected, there were a lot of pasties, boobs and painted bodies on display, and I really love seeing a variety of shapes, sizes and ages being their beautiful selves. If you ever need a healthy dose of body positivity, look no further than the Mermaid Parade. Mermaids are not inherently feminist in nature—those tails look awfully binding and never forget that the Prince falls in love with Ariel once she can no longer speak—but I love how inclusive and celebratory the parade feels.
Coney Island has always been the perfect place for people to get weird, and in any parade there are always people that go slightly off-topic. I saw a few parade regulars, a few people who obviously just wanted to be basically naked in public and a few people who tried their best to stretch the theme to meet their personal agenda. There were a few topical costumes too, including "Mermaids for Orlando," a David Bowie tribute group, Mr. and Miss Seaweed (who somehow scored number 420) and "Sea Change 2016" featuring Hillary, Bernie and Trump stand-ins.
I wonder how long it will take before I decide that I should start actually participating in these parades instead of merely attending them. The Thanksgiving Day Parade will always feel nostalgic to me, I love all of the dogs at the Easter Parade and the Chinese Lunar New Year Parade is a great way to feel as if you've traveled halfway across the world without leaving New York—but you'd be hard pressed to find a parade as creative, vibrant and joyful as the Mermaid Parade.
More Mermaids: 2014 Mermaid Parade
