The Smile
by Ed Weidman
Title
The Smile
Artist
Ed Weidman
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Coney Island Mermaid Parade takes place every year in Coney Island, New York in mid-to-late June.
The tradition of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade began in 1983, when the first event of this kind was conceptualized and organized by Dick Zigun, who is sometimes dubbed the "Mayor of Coney Island", and who was the founder of the non-profit arts group Coney Island USA.
The Mermaid Parade is held in celebration of the beginning of the summer season, and so it traditionally takes place on the Saturday closest to the calendar start of summer, regardless of the weather. Thus the last five parades up to 2012 have been on June 21, 2008; June 20, 2009; June 19, 2010; June 18, 2011; June 23, 2012.[1]
Good cheer is usualThe 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 area. Like the much larger annual Village Halloween Parade, the Mermaid Parade embodies the spirit and artistry of Mardi Gras.
The event sometimes attracts a couple of thousand actual participants, along with hundreds of thousands of spectators, some of whom have traveled to Coney Island's beach primarily to escape the heat which often marks the beginning of summer.
The Mermaid parade is well known for extraordinary marine costumes, and for the occasional partial nudity; it is legal in New York State for women to be topless in public. The parade is however very much a family event; it is quite common for at least one little girl's birthday party to march as part of the parade. There are sections in the parade for vehicles of all kinds, for floats, for groups, and for individuals. Mermaids and sea creatures of every shape and size are represented.
Each year the Mermaid Parade features a merman and mermaid King and Queen. In 2005 the King was David Johansen (Buster Poindexter) and the Queen was Karmen Guy (Mad Juana). In other years, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Adam Savage, Harvey Keitel, and Moby have filled the royal seats. In the 2010 parade, the King was Lou Reed and the Queen Laurie Anderson.
The organizers of the parade claim to encourage bribery, so that participants have a better chance to win the various costume contests, which are also part of the day's entertainment. The Mermaid Parade, New York inspired the Zeemeerminnenparade in The Hague, the Netherlands to organise since 2010 each year a similar Mermaid Parade.
Uploaded
October 11th, 2012
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