NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Coney Island’s annual Mermaid Parade will be back in person this year.
Organizers say they are hoping to host the event in late summer or early fall.
The event was forced to go virtual in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic; however, the event has been held in person every year since 1983.
This year’s event will be solely based on how COVID trends continue throughout the year.
“We are hoping that New York City will behave well and infection rates of COVID will come down and New Yorkers will get vaccinated,” said parade founder Dick Zigun.
He tells WCBS 880’s Peter Haskell that the event is unique as it celebrates New York City’s artists.
“The Mermaid Parade is the world's largest art parade. It's not a religious holiday. It's not a historical celebration. It doesn't promote a great business, like Macy's, which spends its money on the Thanksgiving parade. It's a tongue-in-cheek parade put on and participated in by artists,” he said.
Every year, the event can draw upwards of 600,000 people to Surf Avenue in southern Brooklyn. However, Zigun thinks this year’s crowd will likely be smaller.
Still, he hopes that the parade will be able to feature all of its classic events, including the costume contest – one of the largest draws.
“It's not a mermaid beauty contest. It's a costume contest.
So ,we give out prizes and trophies for ‘Best Mermaid,’ ‘Best King Neptune,’ ‘Best Homemade Float,’ ‘Best Marching Group.’ It's not necessarily the most attractive or most expensive. It's often the weirdest or most creative that wins,” Zigun said.
The parade usually happens in June, but organizers are aiming for a later date to give New Yorkers more time to overcome COVID-19.
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