Coney Island Mermaid Parade: route and Brooklyn street closures

Everything you need to know about Coney Island's spectacle of the year

After raising more than half its fundraising goal, Coney Island USA will once again hold its annual Mermaid Parade on the streets (and boardwalk) of Coney Island on Saturday. If you know anything about the Mermaid Parade, then you know exactly what to expect: there'll be plenty of people in costume and body paint, meant to resemble mermaids, sea witches, and other creatures; and it will almost definitely be NSFW. The marching hordes will fill the streets of Coney Island beginning at 1 p.m.

This year's parade royalty will include Blondie icons Debbie Harry and Chris Stein as Queen Mermaid and King Neptune, respectively. The parade will begin at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue, heading east along Surf until it hits West 10th Street, when it'll turn and follow the path of the Coney Island boardwalk, past landmarks like Childs Restaurant, before ending at Steeplechase Plaza.

Coney Island USA has provided a helpful Google Map that shows the precise route and entry points:

As with any parade, you can expect normal traffic patterns to be affected, so plan accordingly. And if you want no part of it, here are the areas you'll want to avoid on Saturday, per the DOT:

Formation:

• West 21st Street between Surf Avenue and Highland View Avenue (Riegelmann Boardwalk)
• West 22nd Street between Surf Avenue and Highland View Avenue (Riegelmann Boardwalk)
• West 23rd Street between Surf Avenue and Highland View Avenue (Riegelmann Boardwalk)
• Surf Avenue between West 23rd Street and West 21st Street

Route:

• Surf Avenue between West 21st Street and West 10th Street
• West 10th Street between Surf Avenue and Boardwalk
• Boardwalk between West 10th Street and West 15th Street

Festival:

• Stillwell Avenue between Surf Avenue and Bowery Street

That festival mentioned above is a party at the Coney Island Art Walls, which begins at noon and will go well into the evening. If you haven't started working on a costume, we recommend you do that, well, now.

• The Mermaid Parade [Coney Island USA]
• Coney Island's Mermaid Parade has been saved [Curbed]