2013 Mermaid Parade to Kick Off on Coney Island, 6/22
By: BWW News Desk Jun. 12, 2013
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, The 31st Annual Mermaid Parade will step off at 1pm on Saturday, June 22, 2013. This years King Neptune and Queen Mermaid are Judah Friedlander (Stand Up Comic, 30 Rock) and Carole Radziwill (Journalist, Author, The Real Housewives of New York City).The Mermaid Parade is the largest art parade in the nation. A celebration of ancient mythology and honky-tonk rituals of the seaside, it showcases over 1,500 creative individuals from all over the five boroughs and beyond, opening the summer with incredible art, entrepreneurial spirit and community pride. The parade highlights Coney Island Pageantry based on a century of many Coney parades, celebrates the artistic vision of the masses, and ensures that the summer season is a success by bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the amusement area in a single day.The MERMAID PARADE specifically was founded in 1983 with 3 goals: it brings mythology to life for local residents who live on streets named Mermaid and Neptune ; it creates self-esteem in a district that is often disregarded as "entertainment"; and it lets artistic New Yorkers find self-expression in public.
Over the years the Mermaid Parade has grown into the largest event of the year at Coney Island and it is also one of the ten biggest parades annually in New York City.The assembly sites and route are as follows: PEOPLE AND PUSH/PULL FLOATS assemble at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue. ANTIQUE AUTOS will assemble at West 19th Street and Surf Avenue. MOTORIZED FLOATS will assemble at West 20th Street at Surf Avenue.* The Parade will start at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue
* The Parade will roll east to West 10th Street
* At West 10th Street the Parade will turn south towards the boardwalk
* Cars and Motorized Floats continue down Surf Ave. passing W. 10th Street and exit the parade.
* At the Boardwalk, the marchers and push-pull floats will turn west and head towards West 17th St.
* At Steeplechase Plaza, the Parade will disband.
Immediately after the parade, approximately 4:30pm; the parade concludes with a Ribbon Cutting Pageant on the beach.From 6pm - 11:00pm, the 11th annual Mermaid Parade Ball, the official after- party of The Mermaid Parade will take place on a Riverboat, with shuttle buses to and from Coney Island to Brooklyn Army Terminal.Parade Registration, Advance Ball Tickets and additional information for the Parade and Ball are available at: www.coneyisland.com.Photo Credit: Stephen Mallon
Videos