Sexy, Freaky, Silly Sea Creatures Party All Day at Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade

On Saturday afternoon thousands of sea creatures—scary, sexy, strange—and the people who love watching them strut their stuff filled Surf Avenue and Coney Island’s historic boardwalk for the 44th Annual Mermaid Parade. There were marching bands and rock bands and samba drum lines, lots of little kids, lots of summertime skin, plenty of day drinking and dancing, and just an overall vibe of collective joy.

Flatbush resident Eliza Summit, marching with an all-ages crew dressed as, as she called them, “anti-fascist shrimp,” has been coming to Mermaid for about 20 years. “It’s such a lovely event for New Yorkers to get out into the streets and be creative and celebrate, without big money or big corporations dominating the day,” she tells BKMAG. “It’s like we create this parade ourselves.”

NYC rocker Jesse Malin and pop star Rickie Lee Jones donned the crowns of King Neptune and Queen Mermaid this year, and handled their royal duties (basically waving to roaring crowds) with aplomb. Paraders flung beads and handed out candy to the delight of the spectators, but the biggest cheers on the day were probably heard for the mermaid who celebrated her 101st birthday on Saturday by walking the entire route.

These photos show some of what went down.

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