On Saturday, I headed out with my brother and others to the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. This marked the 30th anniversary of the event. Coincidentally, this year the Mermaid Parade was the same day as Dragon Boat Festival, but I didn’t see any mermaids in dragon boats.
There were plenty of people dressed as who-knows-what; they definitely didn’t look like anything that came out of the sea. I’m sure some of them were supposed to be sea monsters, but it was difficult to tell. There were also quite a few pirates.
There were also numerous women who opted for body paint rather than costumes (and the photographers were much more interested in taking their pictures).
As soon as we got to the parade route (a little late in event), a small marching band walked down the street. It was the geekiest marching band I’ve ever heard–they played the cantina song from Star Wars.
After the parade, we headed for the boardwalk in search of food and cheap beer. Unfortunately, this year the parade also went down the boardwalk, blocking access to the piers where the vendors with cheap beer hang out. After walking around in circles with the sun beating down, I decided to head back home to a friend’s party in the shade.
