Defending the Honor of American Popular Culture

Thank you for tuning in today and visiting our site for further information. The Mermaid Parade is an entirely original creation of Coney Island USA (the not for profit arts organization at 1208 Surf Avenue). It is the nation's largest art parade and one of New York City's most remarkable summer events.

A celebration of ancient mythology and honky-tonk rituals of the seaside, The Mermaid Parade showcases over 3,000 creative individuals from all over the five boroughs and beyond, opening the summer with incredible art, entrepreneurial spirit, and community pride. The parade highlights Coney Island Pageantry based on a century of many Coney parades, celebrates the artistic vision of the masses, and ensures that the summer season is a success by bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the amusement area in a single day.

Beyond the Mermaid Parade our organization, Coney Island USA, exists to preserve the honor of American Popular and Amusement Culture. In the historic Childs Restaurant Building at 1208 Surf Ave, we operate the Coney Island Museum, providing insight into the history of our community from the Indigenous people who lived on these shores through to today's vibrant and dynamic neighborhood. The Coney Island Circus Sideshow, housed in the Sideshow by the Seashore Theater, is the last traditional "Ten-in-One" Circus Sideshow in the world, preserving the past of Sideshow and Variety entertainment while helping today's performers innovate within this tradition.

How can I support the organization?

Make a tax-deductible donation here!

Purchase one of a kind items from our online Gift Shop!

Join us on Zoom for our Coney Island Museum fundraiser "Once Upon a Time in Coney Island" featuring 2018 Mermaid Parade King Neptune, Neil Gaiman!

Become a member of Coney Island USA!

For further info on the Mermaid Parade, click here.

We miss your Funny Faces! Please join the Coney Island Museum — on Zoom — for Once Upon a Time in Coney Island, a salon-like evening of readings, stories, performances, and memories that capture the heart and soul of the People’s Playground. Hosted by the inimitable Adam Realman, our Museum benefit will feature luminaries including Neil Gaiman, Alice Hoffman, Kevin Baker, Bill Griffith, Todd Robbins, Richard Eagan, Trav SD, and others to be announced. Amid the chaos and strife that defined 2020, this special event is an easy escape into the wonders of Coney Island. Apart but together, we’ll focus on what makes this place so magical … and with your generous support, begin the next chapter in its spectacular story.

With Special Guests:

• Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Coraline, American Gods, The Ocean At the End of the Lane)
• Alice Hoffman (The Museum of Extraordinary Things, Practical Magic, Magic Lessons)
• Ann Aptaker (Genuine Gold; Flesh and Gold; A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta, and One Furious Night)
• Kevin Baker (Dreamland, Paradise Alley)
• Richard Eagan - Actor, Artist, Musician
• Jennifer Egan (Manhattan Beach, A Visit From the Goon Squad)
• Bill Griffith (Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Schlitzie the Pinhead, Lost and Found)
• John Major (111 Places In Brooklyn That You Must Not Miss)
• Philomena Marano - Artist, Visual Designer, Storyteller
• Larry Racioppo - Photographer
• Dawn Raffel (The Strange Case of Dr. Couney, The Secret Life of Objects)
• Trav SD (Rose’s Royal Midgets, No Applause), Actor, Director, Playright
• Todd Robbins (The Modern Con Man: How To Get Something For Nothing), Entertainer
• Chris T. - "The Voice of the Mermaid Parade", Writer, Producer, Creator and Host of "Aerial View”

Join Us for the “After-Party”
It's the next best thing to the Freak Bar! Your ticket includes access to a special Zoom get-together immediately after the fundraiser. We’ll be sharing a separate link you can use at the end of Saturday's program to spend some quality time with the Coney Island USA family. We can't wait to see everyone! 

A Zoom link to join us online, will be emailed day of the event.

Ticket sales end on Saturday, December 5, at 12pm ET.