Step inside 1208 Surf Avenue’s Freak Bar and you’re greeted with wall-to-wall displays of Coney Island’s history—variations of the famously creepy Steeplechase face, cars from old amusement rides bolted to the walls, assorted sea critters, footage from 1917’s silent film Coney Island, a bust of Poseidon himself—and lots and lots of mermaids.
The landmark building is the headquarters for Coney Island USA, a not-for-profit arts organization founded in 1980 that created the first Mermaid Parade three years later. Now one of the largest art parades in the country, the procession, which took place this year June 17, serves as an annual beacon for creative and kooky revelers to join the fun with glitter, papier-mâché and a deluge of ocean puns. [Note: the 2024 Mermaid Parade takes place June 22.]
The organization spearheads other programs and events throughout the year, such as Burlesque on the Beach and the Sideshow School, while its Spanish Colonial Revival building at 1208 houses the Freak Bar, Sideshows by the Seashore Theater, a gift shop and a museum. Coney Island USA’s mission is to help ensure the vibrancy of the culture and small businesses of South Brooklyn’s amusement district.
Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
“The really important thing about the parade is bringing people’s attention to Coney Island in general,” says Bambi the Mermaid, who runs Coney Island USA’s Burlesque at the Beach program and was Queen Mermaid in 2006. “If the parade is the one thing people really love about Coney Island, well, that probably helps to protect Coney Island as a whole.”
Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
Bambi, whose real name is Andrea Cambridge, took the train straight to Coney Island after moving to New York City in 1990 to photograph, mesmerized by the full-throttle rides, Brooklyn teens swarming the boardwalk and ladies wearing full fur coats in the summer heat. After her first experience as a spectator at the parade, Bambi has marched in every edition for the past 33 years. Even during the pandemic, when the parade was canceled, Bambi and a few folks gathered on the boardwalk, social-distancing in full costume.
Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
Best Mermaid alum Kate Dale, a Juilliard props supervisor and now a member of the Coney Island USA board of directors, also describes the siren call of the parade, being inspired by the mythology of mermaids and the DIY aesthetic of parade-goers’ costumes—wearable art pieces assembled from found objects. (She also mentioned The Little Mermaid’s obsession with thingamabobs, to which she could relate.)
As Dale continued to participate, showing up on parade day like she was “invading a country” and winning five or six times for her floats and costumes, she became an integral part of Coney Island USA. Her technical expertise helped shape the Sideshows by the Seashore Theater, creating its curtains, helping build the stage and consulting on the lighting grid.
Photos: Jonah Rosenberg
“It’s the best of New York,” says Dale of the Mermaid Parade. “People from every walk of life are there to celebrate the beginning of summer and the ocean. That’s one of the things [I do] when I go through the crowds; I’m welcoming them to summer. It is a perfect New York day.”
Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
Adam “Realman” Rinn, variety show performer and artistic director of Coney Island USA, can tell you about a perfect NYC day. A Brooklyn native who grew up biking to Coney Island, which was practically in his backyard, he first realized his hometown was kind of a big deal when he saw the movie The Warriors. As a teen, he became fascinated with Coney Island’s sideshow performances—“I had never seen anyone take a spike and hammer it into his head!”—and now runs the Sideshow School out of 1208 Surf Avenue. Rinn was there for one of the earliest iterations of the Mermaid Parade in the ’80s, when there were more marchers than spectators.
Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
“The parade grew to be one of the nation’s largest art parades, [not to mention] one of the City’s biggest and most well-attended parades,” says Rinn. “Ask anybody who comes to the event, and they’ll tell you that it’s the most fun day, the most crowded day in Coney Island, the best day in Coney Island and probably the best day in New York City.”
As summer began to swing into full gear, we sat down with Coney Island USA’s finest to learn about their decades of participation in the Mermaid Parade, what the parade means to New York City and how it has come to characterize Coney Island.
Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
What is it about mermaids and the Mermaid Parade that fascinates people so much?
Bambi: I always identified with mermaids in general as being really curious, creative, free spirited, free thinkers—the archetype always just really rang true to me. Add it to the chance to wear sparkly costumes and beautiful girlie things and be associated with the ocean. The costuming itself is a huge draw because there’s so many ways for everyone to express that kind of connection to water and seashores and a very libertine kind of lifestyle. Pair that with Coney Island, which is kind of home of the freaks and the unusual and the offbeat and the quirkiest personalities—it’s the perfect mix of freedom, playtime and fantasy, and leaves behind drudgery of any sort.
Photo: Jonah Rosenberg
Kate Dale: I think that mermaids are magic. They do what they want. It’s the magical world and the freedom of the mermaid that is inspiring. The spirit of the mermaid is not too far from who I am [as a] Pisces. When the wig goes on [I get into character], but the spirit—the spirit just is.
As for the parade, I think it’s a purely joyful experience that really reflects New York. Like, it’s the best of New York because people from every culture, [age, orientation]—everybody is there to celebrate the beginning of summer.
Photo: Jonah Rosenberg
Photo: Jonah Rosenberg
Adam Rinn: It’s an inclusive parade—we don’t turn anybody down! We love everybody! Of course, if you come from the sea, we love you more. But there is camaraderie in a sense; that day is like this bizarre family reunion.
Photos: Jonah Rosenberg (top left), Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet (the rest)
What is it about Coney Island in particular that resonates with you?
AR: It didn’t hit me until years and years later that not only is it an amusement district, it has a very important historical element. I mean, the rides were literally invented here. Fast food was invented here. Frozen custard was invented here!
B: I’ve spent the better part of my life in Coney Island and participating in the Coney Island type of lifestyle, vibes and creativity. But it still amazes me that it’s part of New York City. The fact that it’s just sitting there at the edge of Brooklyn is mind-blowing. It’s America’s first amusement park, and the history alone is so fascinating.
Photo: Jonah Rosenberg
Are there any fun rituals or traditions that happen every year at the Parade?
KD: You might hear about the custom of bribing the judges. Back in 1997, giving the judges like a 12-pack of beer made us extremely popular. That doesn't really work nowadays; if you give them a six-pack of Bud, they're not impressed. [But] the judges now are pretty well taken care of. Different groups come up with elaborate and sometimes handmade things that they give the judges.
Photo: Jonah Rosenberg
AR: Immediately following the parade, we do have the beach ceremony, where the ocean is officially “opened” for the swimming season. Kate, because she's always got one of the most elaborate mermaid setups, literally holds court under the Parachute Jump. Bambi and her crew hang out [at the Sideshow], so everyone finds their spot. Then you have the marchers and the attendees who hang out at the brewery. And this year, like last year, we're hosting the Mermaid Ball at the Coney Island Brewery, the official after-party of the parade.
Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
Why do you think this parade is important to New York City?
B: It touches on a lot of notes of freedom, creativity, self-expression. It celebrates everyone that likes to have a good time or everyone who loves beautiful costumes and just joy. It's the most joyful day in New York City.
KD: It’s the stone soup of the art world; everyone brings their own [take]. People will ask me, "What's the theme this year?" The theme is the Mermaid Parade, and everyone brings their own micro theme. And I think that it's the pride of New York, the pride of the creativity of the not-so-famous New Yorkers, and of Brooklynites in particular.
Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
What are your hopes for the parade’s future?
KD: I hope it makes a lot of money for Coney Island USA. I know that we’ve got a national brand sponsor this year with Chicken of the Sea, so that’s exciting to see the funding. I wouldn’t want it to become more expensive for the participants. You don’t want it to go on for nine hours. A lot of theater folks and artists [and] crafty Brooklynite[s] come to the parade. I want it to keep that but still bring a lot of money up to Coney Island. To scale up, it needs to keep the flavor.
B: It should be a national holiday! I don’t know how much bigger it could get because it’s already really huge, but I would imagine it would never be under any kind of threat of not happening because it’s such a great cultural event for the City. Most people have heard of the parade…but once in a while, I’ll find someone that hasn’t. So getting the word out [is important]. I feel pretty confident that if you’ve come once, you would come again and again.
AR: Let’s get it to the point where it gets nationwide coverage. We do get picked up by nationwide media, but I mean, really make it an even bigger event.
Photo: Jonah Rosenberg
I would hope that our sponsors, Chicken of the Sea and Coney Island Brewery, will continue to work alongside us. It would be great if we could get other corporate sponsors, but again, corporate sponsors who understand the authenticity of what this parade is. It’s not about a money grab. It’s about getting the vibe of the parade. And listen, putting on a parade like this costs money. We’re a not-for-profit arts organization. Sponsorship is ridiculously helpful in affording us the ability to give the City an incredible event.
While the Mermaid Parade takes place every June, Coney Island USA presents events year-round. For more of the wonderful and weird world of Coney Island, visit coneyisland.com.
