Mermaid Parade | Amusing the Zillion

Posts Tagged ‘Mermaid Parade’

Photo of the Day: Happy Mermaid Parade Day!

Posted in Events, Photo of the Day, tagged Coney Island, Coney Island USA, Mermaid Parade on June 20, 2015| 1 Comment »

Happy Mermaid Day! Today is the 33rd Annual Mermaid Parade produced by non-profit arts org Coney Island USA. America’s largest art parade is worth the trip from anywhere. If you plan to march as a mermaid or other sea creature, or simply watch it from the curb or the boardwalk, we recommend getting here early, say 11:00am. To avoid traffic jams, take the D, F, N or Q train to Stillwell Avenue and leave your car at home unless it’s one of the vintage cars in the Parade.

The Mermaid Parade starts rolling down Surf Avenue at 1:00pm, but parade-goers can also take photos in the staging area on West 21st Street from 10:30am till 12:30pm, for a fee of $20. Check out our post from last year, Fave Spots to Photograph Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade (ATZ, June 19, 2014).

Although the Mermaid Parade is free to watch, it costs a lot of clams to produce, say the folks at Coney Island USA, who are trying a new method of fundraising this year. Fans of the Parade are being asked to text MERMAID to 91999 and make a donation. Everyone who makes a text donation of $20 or more on the day of the Parade will be entered into a raffle for 5 pairs of tickets to one of several Off Broadway shows.

There will be no Mermaid Ball this year due to lack of a suitable venue. Make your own after-party by patronizing Coney Island USA’s Sideshow and Freak Bar, and the Coney Island businesses sponsoring the Parade including Luna Park, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park, Coney Island Brewing Company, Coney Island Smorgasburg, Dona Zita, Eldorado Bumper Cars, Gyro Corner, Paul’s Daughter, Peggy O’Neills, Ruby’s Bar and Williams Candy Shop.

Fave Spots to Photograph Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade

Posted in Events, Photography, tagged Barry Yanowitz, Coney Island, Coney Island USA, judge, Mermaid Parade on June 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Coney Island Mermaid Parade, June 20, 2009. Photo © Barry Yanowitz

The 32nd Annual Mermaid Parade gets rolling on Saturday at 1:00pm. The free event is one of the most hugely crowded days of the year in Coney Island. If you’re not marching, where are the best places to spectate and take photos? Anywhere along Surf Avenue from the parade’s starting point at West 21st Street to West 10th Street, where it turns to go onto the Boardwalk. You’ll miss the antique cars and motorized floats if you opt for the backdrop of the Cyclone on West 10th and the seaside atmosphere of the boardwalk. This year, the parade disbands at Steeplechase Plaza, where the Parachute Jump is located on the boardwalk at West 17th Street.

Coney Island Mermaid Parade, June 19, 2010. Photo © Barry Yanowitz

ATZ asked photographer Barry Yanowitz, who grew up in Coney Island and whose splendid photos from past parades are featured in this post, to share his strategy for Saturday. “On the parade route itself, my favorite spot is across from Nathan’s – that makes a great backdrop. The only problem is that this spot gets very crowded very fast so you have to stake out a spot early.” Yes, it bears repeating. GET THERE EARLY. Latecomers will not be able to navigate due to the crowds and crossing Surf Avenue while parade is in progress is iffy due to NYPD barricades. (more…)

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Photo Album: Coney Island’s First Taste of Summer

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, tagged Brooklyn Cyclones, Coney Island, Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, Luna Park, Mermaid Parade, Pet Costume Contest, roller coaster, summer, Thunderbolt on June 17, 2014| 1 Comment »

Grand Opening of Thunderbolt Roller Coaster, Luna Park Coney Island, June 14, 2014. Photo via Luna Park NYC

Summer officially begins on Saturday, June 21st, with the solstice and Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade. This past Saturday offered a taste of summer: the long-awaited debut of Luna Park’s Thunderbolt roller coaster, Wonder Wheel Park’s Pet Costume Contest on the Boardwalk, and the Brooklyn Cyclones season opener followed by the first fireworks of the season. The Cyclones stadium is spectacularly situated with the landmark Parachute Jump on one side and the new Thunderbolt on the other.

Brooklyn Cyclones Season Opener at MCU Park, Coney Island. June 14, 2014. Photo via Brooklyn Cyclones Facebook

ATZ wrote about the Thunderbolt when it broke ground (“High Hopes for Coney Island’s New Thunderbolt Coaster,” March 10, 2014) and as it took shape (“New Thunderbolt Loops the Loop Again in Coney Island,” May 19, 2014). Yet it’s still an astonishment to come upon its steel loops and dips from Surf Avenue. The coaster has the allure of an abstract sculpture and occupies part of a long vacant block where the Drop the Dip, Thunderbolt, and Wild Mouse coasters once thrilled and the Magic Carpet Fun House and Donkey Ball Game amused the millions. (more…)