Coney Island: Mermaid Parade

On Saturday I met some friends at Coney Island for the Mermaid Parade, which is held every year on the first Saturday of summer. The weather was seriously perfection, and I have been wanting to attend the parade for years but I never had the chance until now. The Mermaid Parade claims to be the largest art parade in the nation and has taken place every summer since 1983. My friend Alisha told me to expect "lots of boobs and body paint" and that's pretty much all you need to know about the Mermaid Parade.

Dante and Chiara deBlasio (and his famous fro) were King Neptune and Queen Mermaid, and I later saw photos of the mayor himself dressed as a pirate, who we somehow missed. It's sort of telling that the 6'5" mayor of New York was able to dress up like a pirate and completely blend in with the crowd, but that's the gist of the Mermaid Parade, and to a certain extent, Coney Island on a normal day.

I was expecting more men in the parade (dressed as women), but the majority of mermaids appeared to be actual women. It is totally legal for women to be topless in New York, and I had no idea that there were so many different varieties of pasties available — sparkly cupcakes, tassels, starfish, seashells, sequins and of course, tons and tons of body paint and glitter.

There were the odd costumes that didn't seem to fit, like a Richard Nixon or a Popeye that you inevitably get with any parade, but the more nautical-themed, the better. I loved anyone with tentacles or a seashell bra and I said out loud that I wouldn't be happy unless I saw at least one King Triton and lo and behold he soon appeared (with Asian Ariel by his side). The parade was just incredibly fun, welcoming and celebratory— even if it was ridiculously long — and I have definitely added it to my growing list of annual New York traditions.