An iconic New York festival kick-started the summer on Saturday as thousands of scantily dressed creatures of the sea descended on Coney Island to celebrate the neighborhood’s 37th annual Mermaid Parade.
Since 1983, the Mermaid Parade has sought to ‘bring mythology to life for local residents’ in a spectacular celebration of ‘wacky art’ and individuality, complete with festive floats, vintage cars – and lots of glitter.
And 2019 promised the be the biggest year yet, with organizers seeking to top the staggering 825,000 people who flocked to the Brooklyn beach town last year to revel in the shimmering spectacular.
Since 1983, the Mermaid Parade has sought to ‘bring mythology to life for local residents’ in a spectacular celebration of ‘wacky art’ and individuality
Celebrating its 37th year, thousands of scantily dressed creatures of the sea descended on Coney Island to celebrate
The unconventional procession comes complete with festive floats, vintage cars – and lots of glitter
And 2019 promised the be the biggest year yet, with organizers seeking to top the staggering 825,000 people who flocked to the Brooklyn beach town last year to revel in the shimmering spectacular
Costumed attendees made their way along Surf Avenue from 1:00pm on wards
Schools of glittery mermaids marched then march forth in a bedazzling sea of pearls, jewels, fringe shells, sequins, scales and glittery seaweed
Not all of the costumes follow the outlined mermaid theme, with one man dressed as a behemoth (left) and another woman incorporating a nurse’s outfit with her sequined mermaid’s tail
More than 3,000 people marched though the streets last year, and organizers say that number is certain to be topped
The festivities concluded on Coney Island beach, where thousands of a jubilant partygoers splashed their scaled tails and lobster claws in the shallows of the sea as judges awarded prizes to the best-dressed among the crowd
This year’s stars of the event were the children of legendary singer Woody Guthrie, Arlo and Nora, who were crowned king and queen of the event in an elaborate ceremony.
Their royal appointment came as a result of the corner of Mermaid Avenue and West 35th Street in the borough being renamed Woody Guthrie Way.
Most widely renowned for his ‘This Land is Your Land’ hit, Guthrie and his wife moved into a modest first-floor apartment on the avenue back in 1943, which is where Arlo and Nora both grew up.
‘This sand is your sand,’ bellowed Nora, marking the commencement of the bizarre procession.
This year’s stars of the event were the children of legendary singer Woody Guthrie, Arlo and Nora (pictured above), who were crowned king and queen of the event in an elaborate ceremony
Some partygoers accented their impressive outfits with a political twist
Donald Trump was also issued a less than favorable tribute by one attendee, who, wearing a papier-mâché mold of the president’s head and a black and white striped jumpsuit, marched in handcuffs wearing a sign around their neck reading ‘catch of the day’
Perhaps inspired by last year’s Oscar nominee ‘The Shape of Water’, one parade-goer donned a fish-man costume
Two NYPD officers seemed to embrace the festivities too, adding a pink headbands to their uniforms for the day
Outfits ranged from the spooky to the down-right weird, with one marcher taking inspiration from a galaxy far, far away
The parade was founded in 1983 to promote the historic amusement park district and what Coney Island advocate Dick Zigun calls its ‘wacky art’
The parade now has a global following and is staged each year on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice
Festive floats and antique roadsters made their way down the parade route on West 10th Street as marchers danced under the hot sun and crowds cheered from the sidewalk
The corner of Mermaid Avenue and West 35th Street in the borough was renamed Woody Guthrie Way at the beginning of the parade, in testament to the late singer who moved to the area in the 1940s
The spectacle lasts several hours and has become a global phenomenon, with many flying from thousands of miles away to revel in the unique display
One partygoer took the Mermaid theme a little to literally, as she bathed in her full costume on the Coney Island shoreline
Schools of glittery mermaids marched then march forth in a bedazzling sea of pearls, jewels, fringe shells, sequins, scales and glittery seaweed.
Donald Trump was paid a less-than favorable tribute by one attendee, who, wearing a papier-mâché mold of the president’s head and a black and white striped jumpsuit, marched in handcuffs wearing a sign around their neck reading ‘catch of the day’.
The festivities concluded on Coney Island beach, where thousands of a jubilant partygoers splashed their scaled tails and lobster claws in the shallows of the sea as judges awarded prizes to the best-dressed among the crowd.
The parade now has a global following and is staged each year on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice.