Sixty at Sixty - Coney Island Mermaid Parade, NYC

What better way to recognize the beginning of summer than with a mermaid parade? And that's what Coney Island, New York City has been doing for the last 36 years. Despite having lived in New York for twenty years, I'd never heard of the parade until recently, but once I did I couldn't resist going to see what it was all about.

The parade was created by Coney Island USA, a not-for-profit arts organisation, in 1983 and is the largest of its kind in the nation. It is made up of floats, groups and individuals representing mermaids, sea creatures and other themes set by the organizers.

The Aquarium joins in the fun

The parade starts on Surf Avenue and ends on the boardwalk. Thousands of people come to see the spectacle which is held rain or shine. As luck would have it Saturday was a gorgeous sunny day, but with crowds several deep lining the route it was difficult to find a decent spot to snap some good photos. I had to make do with peering over people's shoulders, putting my camera on zoom and hoping for the best.

Mermaid and Neptune - not surprisingly a popular choice of costume

It was only later when I looked at the photos that I realized I'd been lucky enough to find a spot with some shade!

the costumes ranged from the exotic to the barely there

No idea what sea creature this was, but it was impressive!

Group participants played instruments and danced as they paraded

And of course there had to be pirates.

And a deep sea diver?

Even Jellyfish got in on the action

Away from the parade itself, other participants posed for photos:

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Despite the crowds and the noise, there were still those who obviously just wanted a day at the beach. Or maybe they were enjoying the relative calm before the end of the parade when the Queen Mermaid and King Neptune (this year Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman) would be led onto the beach for the official Beach Ceremony which marks the beginning of the summer season.

With the parade lasting for over three hours, and facing a two hour commute home, I didn't stick around for the beach ceremony, but even so the parade alone was definitely worth experiencing. I'm just amazed that I'd never heard of it before. New Yorkers certainly know how to celebrate and have fun!

Mel writes contemporary fiction with a twist of mystery and suspense. For more information about her books visit her website, or sign up for her newsletter at http://bit.ly/melparishnews