Mermaid Avenue

      Mermaids -- or at least tales of them (tails?) -- have existed all over the world for centuries. Sometimes they are associated with storms, shipwrecks, and disaster. Sometimes they are clad in seashell bras and dance in the Disneyfied dreams of young girls aplenty. But this weekend, they will converge on the urban playground of Coney Island and march in the annual Mermaid Parade. 

Photo by Sharon Terry, from Flickr

     This festival of fishy fabulousness is now in its fifth decade. Hundreds of thousands of people gather to celebrate the launch of summer and appreciate the colorful, creative homemade costumes on display. 

    Every parade has a king and/or queen; among the royalty emeritus are David Byrne, Harvey Keitel, Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, and Neil Gaiman. Awards are given for best outfits and floats. After that, attendees can focus on Coney Island's perennial attractions -- the boardwalks, the hot dogs and egg cream, the vertiginous Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel -- in the company of glittery sea creatures already dreaming up the costumes they'll concoct next year.