Mermaid Parade 2025

The Mermaid Parade of June 21st, 2025.
This season in nine years I haven’t seen this event and even though allot has changed over the years it’s just really great to be there. The time past so fast I really didn’t notice it at all. I wanted to catch up on what’s going on with one of the biggest summer events in New York City Organizing was very different and some new buildings has gone up since. After covid things really slowed down but latter on went back on the road. Anyway, I was on the scene not as early as before but this morning you can really see there wasn’t as much people as the past. I’m guessing that it was even less people before as well. Everything took off from surf Ave and back on to the boardwalk is where things ended. 👣

A Brief History:
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. The last six parades (up to 2013) were held on June 21, 2008; June 20, 2009; June 19, 2010; June 18, 2011; June 23, 2012; June 22, 2013. The 2014 parade is to be held on Saturday June 21st, starting at 1 pm, the 2025 June Event was also on the 21st at 1pm.

I spent all day there until it ended, however from the beginning the car show wasn’t that much at all, I took a few frames where the cars were at the front of the street.
Location is everything if you are going to get some nice shots. It was a hot sunny day that happened right before the heat wave that began on the Sunday thereafter. I didn’t see many people I know even from in the past. It felt like a new event that I haven’t been to before, everything was really developed down there. There were developments being started years ago so this was to be expected however it was bigger than I anticipated it to be.

This is probably the first time I’ve gotten to shoot an entire event in less time than ever, and the night was far from it. It was more active on the boardwalk than anywhere else down there, but I can see people moving out as things came to an end. There were allot of people that stayed to take some frames of the costumes that I fine was amazing in their detailed designs. People put their passion into their designs in everything you see. There love and energy it’s what makes New York, New York, without a doubt it was a time and place that I enjoyed documenting what I could. 👣

Wheel Set 1 ♥♥

Wheel Set 2 ♥♥

Wheel Set 3 ♥♥

Wheel Set 4 ♥♥