The 2025 Coney Island Mermaid Parade in (NSFW) pics

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The summer solstice was on Friday evening, but the unofficial start of summer in NYC happened on Saturday (6/21), when the Coney Island Mermaid Parade took over Surf Ave and the boardwalk for its 43rd annual edition. Mer-folk of all genders, ages, and races were out for the occasion, as well as a wide variety of nautical creatures real and mythological, including fish, crabs, octopi, squids, lobsters, and beyond.

The Mermaid Parade is the largest art parade in the US, a celebration of creativity, fertility, nautical mythology, and letting one’s freak flag fly, and as usual, marchers and those in the crowd dressed for the occasion in sequins, jewels, elaborate headpieces, tulle, pasties, strategically placed sea shells, body paint, fringe, glitter, rainbows, corsets, beads, and often very little else.

Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello and Queenie Sateen led the procession as King Neptune and Queen Mermaid this year, and we also saw lots of people protesting the proposal to build a casino in Coney Island, some anti-Trump “No Kings” protestors, drumline Fogo Azul, dance team The Tailshakers, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, Coney Island “mayor” Dick Zigun, and people in outfits inspired by The Ramones, Dolly Parton, Pee-wee Herman, Jack Skellington and Sally, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, and more. See lots of pictures from the whole day (some are NSFW) by Amanda Hatfield below.