- 2004 Parade
- 2006 Parade
- 2007 Parade
- 2008 Parade
- 2009 Parade
- 2010 Parade
- 2011 Parade
- 2014 Parade
- 2018 Parade
- 2019 Parade
- 2022 Parade (2020 and 2021 canceled due to COVID 19)
- 2023 Parade
Coney Island Mermaid Parade | |
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Status | Active |
Genre | Parade |
Date(s) | June |
Frequency | Annually |
Venue | Coney Island Boardwalk |
Location(s) | Coney Island, New York |
Country | United States |
Inaugurated | June 1983 |
Founder | Dick Zigun [1] |
Most recent | June 22, 2024 |
Attendance | 800,000 [2] |
Budget | $100,000 [3] |
Website | Coney Island Mermaid Parade |
The Coney Island Mermaid Parade is an art parade held annually in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. The event, the largest art parade in the United States, is held each year in June and celebrates the arrival of the summer season. Created and produced by the non-profit arts organization Coney Island USA, the 40th annual parade was held on June 18, 2022. [4]
The Mermaid Parade traditionally takes place on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice, June 21, regardless of weather. Its intent is to celebrate self-expression, boost pride in Coney Island, and give New York artists a place to display their artwork. There are no ethnic, religious, or commercial aims. [5]
The parade pays homage to the Coney Island Mardi Gras parades of the early 20th century. During this era, Coney Island was the primary amusement park destination for those in the New York metropolitan area. Like the annual Village Halloween Parade, the Mermaid Parade evokes the artistic spirit of Mardi Gras.
The event typically attracts about 3,000 participants and hundreds of thousands of spectators from all five boroughs of New York City. [5] After the last participant passes the reviewing stand, parade founder Dick Zigun leads the procession to the beach for a ceremony representing the opening of the ocean for the summer swimming season. [6] [7] [8]
The tradition began in 1983, when the first event of this kind was conceptualized and organized by Dick Zigun, the founder of the non-profit arts organization Coney Island USA, who is sometimes dubbed the "Mayor of Coney Island." [9] [10]
The parade of June 22, 2013, was almost canceled due to a lack of money and resources following the recovery from Hurricane Sandy. It was rescued through a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $117,000, more than the $100,000 goal. [11] [12]
The 2020 parade was replaced by a virtual event (The Tail-a-Thon) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The parade was delayed in 2021 to September 12 (marking the last weekend that lifeguards would be on duty at Coney Island) in order to improve the chances that it could be held, but on August 18 it was announced that the parade would be cancelled out of an abundance of caution due to a resurgence of COVID-19 in the region. [13]
The Mermaid Parade is known for marine costumes and occasional nudity. [14] [15] There are sections in the parade for vehicles of all kinds, for floats, for groups, and for individuals. There are also family friendly and artsy categories. The organizers of the parade claim to encourage bribery, to give participants a more equal chance to win the various costume contests which are also part of the day's entertainment.
Each year the Mermaid Parade features a King Neptune and Queen Mermaid. [16]
Annual | Year | King Neptune | Queen Mermaid |
---|---|---|---|
1st | 1983 | Al Mottola | Alison Gordy |
2nd | 1984 | Joe Franklin | Jeanne Becker |
3rd | 1985 | Dan Lurie | Sandra Frankel |
4th | 1986 | John Bradshaw | Noni |
5th | 1987 | Henry Stern | Barbara Walz |
6th | 1988 | Michael Wilson | Phoebe Legere |
7th | 1989 | David Smalls | Ilana Iguana |
8th | 1990 | Mr. Fashion | Wendy Wild |
9th | 1991 | El Vez | Lynda Barry |
10th | 1992 | Richard Eagan | Daisy Eagan |
11th | 1993 | - | Karen Duffy |
12th | 1994 | Jose Gutierrez | Rosemary Di Pietra |
13th | 1995 | Spyro Poulos | Shut-Up Shelly |
14th | 1996 | Fred Kahl | Kiva Kahl |
15th | 1997 | Ron Kuby | Jennifer Miller |
16th | 1998 | David Byrne | The World Famous *BOB* |
17th | 1999 | Curtis Sliwa | Queen Latifah |
18th | 2000 | Rabbi Abraham Abraham | Katya Kahl |
19th | 2001 | Hector Camacho Jr. | Kembra Pfahler |
20th | 2002 | Marty Markowitz | Toni Senecal |
21st | 2003 | Bill Evans | Kate Duyn |
22nd | 2004 | Moby | Theo Kogan |
23rd | 2005 | David Johansen | Karmen Guy |
24th | 2006 | Abel Ferrara | Bambi the Mermaid |
25th | 2007 | Adam Savage | Patti D'Arbanville |
26th | 2008 | Reverend Billy Talen | Savitri Durkee |
27th | 2009 | Harvey Keitel | Daphne Kastner |
28th | 2010 | Lou Reed | Laurie Anderson |
29th | 2011 | Adam Richman | Cat Greenleaf |
30th | 2012 | Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling | Annabella Sciorra |
31st | 2013 | Judah Friedlander | Carole Radziwill |
32nd | 2014 | Dante de Blasio | Chiara de Blasio |
33rd | 2015 | Mat Fraser | Julie Atlas Muz |
34th | 2016 | Carlo A. Scissura | Hailey Clauson |
35th | 2017 | Chris Stein | Deborah Harry |
36th | 2018 | Neil Gaiman | Amanda Palmer |
37th | 2019 | Arlo Guthrie | Nora Guthrie |
38th | 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | |
39th | 2021 | Cancelled again due to COVID-19 | |
40th | 2022 | Dave Chokshi | Justin Vivian Bond |
41st | 2023 | - | Laurie Cumbo |
42nd | 2024 | Joe Coleman | Whitney Ward |
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest LGBT festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the largest Pride event in Oceania. It includes a variety of events such as the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade and Party, Bondi Beach Drag Races, Harbour Party, the academic discussion panel Queer Thinking, Mardi Gras Film Festival, as well as Fair Day, which attracts 70,000 people to Victoria Park, Sydney.
The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in southern Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, the season is known as Carnival and begins on 12th Night, January 6th, and extends until midnight before Ash Wednesday. Club, or Krewe, balls start soon after, though most are extremely private, with their Kings and Queens coming from wealthy old families and their courts consisting of the season's debutantes. Most of the high society Krewes do not stage parades. As Fat Tuesday gets nearer, the parades start in earnest. Usually there is one major parade each day ; many days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season. In the final week, many events occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities, including parades and balls.
The Krewe of Endymion is a New Orleans Mardi Gras super krewe and social organization.
Coney Island USA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization founded in 1980 that is dedicated to the cultural and economic revitalization of the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Its headquarters building in the heart of Coney Island's amusement district houses a theater in which the organization presents "Sideshows by the Seashore", a showcase for performers with unusual talents that runs continuously during the warmer months, as well as the Coney Island Museum. It is also notable as the organizer of the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade, the first of which took place in 1983.
The Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue station is a New York City Subway terminal in Coney Island, Brooklyn. It is the railroad-south terminus for the D, F, N, and Q trains at all times and for the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.
Fantasy Fest is a street party held annually in the last week of October in Key West, Florida.
Southern Decadence is an annual, six-day, LGBTQ-based event held in New Orleans, Louisiana during Labor Day weekend, culminating in a parade through the French Quarter on the Sunday before Labor Day.
Krewe of Bacchus is a New Orleans Mardi Gras super krewe.
Mardi Gras is the annual Carnival celebration in Mobile, Alabama. It is the oldest official Carnival celebration in the United States, started by Frenchman Nicholas Langlois in 1703 when Mobile was the capital of Louisiana. Although today New Orleans and South Louisiana celebrations are much more widely known for all the current traditions such as masked balls, parades, floats and throws were first created there. From Mobile being the first capital of French Louisiana (1702), the festival began as a French Catholic tradition. Mardi Gras has now evolved into a mainstream multi-week celebration across the spectrum of cultures, becoming school holidays for the final Monday and Tuesday, regardless of religious affiliation.
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Mardi Gras in the United States is celebrated in a number of cities and regions in the country. Most of these places trace their Mardi Gras celebrations to French, Spanish, and other Catholic colonial influences on the settlements over their history.
The Mardi Gras Film Festival is an Australian LGBTQ+ film festival held in Sydney, New South Wales annually as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations. It is organised by Queer Screen Limited, a non-profit organization, and is one of the world's largest platforms for queer cinema.
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Unofficial Mayor of Coney Island
Parades from 1998–2004