--- title: Inside the Coney Island Mermaid Parade | TIME description: Thousands flock to Coney Island each year to see outrageous marine-life costumes and floats in the Mermaid Parade. Kate Dale, a veteran mermaid, takes her costume design to another level canonical: https://time.com/video/Gi6UIUJG/ og:title: Inside the Coney Island Mermaid Parade og:description: Thousands flock to Coney Island each year to see outrageous marine-life costumes and floats in the Mermaid Parade. Kate Dale, a veteran mermaid, takes her costume design to another level og:url: https://time.com/video/Gi6UIUJG/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Gi6UIUJG/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Inside the Coney Island Mermaid Parade twitter:description: Thousands flock to Coney Island each year to see outrageous marine-life costumes and floats in the Mermaid Parade. Kate Dale, a veteran mermaid, takes her costume design to another level twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Gi6UIUJG/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Inside the Coney Island Mermaid Parade > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Inside the Coney Island Mermaid Parade [Watch (HLS stream): Inside the Coney Island Mermaid Parade](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Gi6UIUJG.m3u8) (3:47)  _Published 2010-07-05. Thousands flock to Coney Island each year to see outrageous marine-life costumes and floats in the Mermaid Parade. Kate Dale, a veteran mermaid, takes her costume design to another level_ --- Jul 27, 2023 2:22 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [GoldieBlox Gets a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Float](/video/7WoZ2DDK/) ### GoldieBlox Gets a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Float [Historic Coney Island Recreated with a 3-D Printer](/video/qenZrtBw/) ### Historic Coney Island Recreated with a 3-D Printer [Coney Island's Post Sandy Struggles](/video/cPbF5XS2/) ### Coney Island's Post Sandy Struggles --- ## Transcript >> I saw my first Mermaid Parade in 1990 and I knew instantly that this was for me. >> Kate Dale is getting ready for her favorite event of the year. >> This will be I believe my 19th Mermaid Parade. It's kind of the perfect party and it's like the Stone Soup of the art world. >> Started in 1983, the Mermaid Parade happens every year in Coney Island, the weekend of Summer Solstice. It pays ohmage to Coney's Mardi gras parades of the early 20th century. >> It's a festival of the ocean. It's a freak squad coming out I think to kick- off this season and I love it for that. >> Thousands of people come to see performers and participants dressed in marine life or carnival costumes, that stay true to Coney's side show atmosphere. And they come to see mermaids of every strike. >> The idea of mermaids is a fantasy of mystery and magic. >> But few costumes and floats are as elaborate or creative as Dale's and few have won more awards. This is her space mermaid from 2002 and her mermaid on a coin, which now sits in the Coney Island Museum. >> We talked a little bit about an Octopus this year but then decided that the moon is pretty, it's fun. >> Dale works at the Juilliard School as the Prop Shop Supervisor which gives her the skills she uses to build clothes. Her costume and float this year celebrate Coney's story past. >> It's based on the song, so many paper moon floating over card board seas. Back in the 20's there were a lot of photo booths and there were some in Coney Island where people would come and pose with the moon and it was very sweet and romantic. >> They are just moving the moon to the wagon. Then once that's [ unk ] the big eldest, the big scenic down in there, and then once that's gone we'd basically dress the wagon with some waves. Put our mascot on there. Fifi is gonna ride up front in her little robot dingy. And our mermaid sits on top of the moon; we got a mermaid on the moon this year. >> Most people have a little performer I think and it's nice to have that that day, I'm the queen of everything pretty much. >> I am so happy with the way the float turned out. I really think, can I just ride this one forever? 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