The Mermaid Parade is an annual event celebrating the beginning of summer at Coney Island and the "opening" of the Atlantic Ocean. Each year the Parade crowns a King Neptune and a Queen Mermaid to reside over the festivities. Links provided for further information on past kings and queens may not be worksafe, unless, of course you work at Coney Island.
Unfortunately for the Coney Island historian, there is a gap in the available digitized materials relating to the Mermaid Parade and any further digitization was not possible for this project.
| Annual | Year | Poster Image | King Neptune | Queen Mermaid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1983 | | Al Mottola | Alison Gordy |
| 2nd | 1984 | Joe Franklin | Jeanne Becker | |
| 3rd | 1985 | | Dan Lurie | Sandra Frankel |
| 4th | 1986 | | John Bradshaw | Noni |
| 5th | 1987 | Henry Stern | Barbara Walz | |
| 6th | 1988 | | Michael Wilson | Phoebe Legere |
| 7th | 1989 | | David Smalls | Elana Iguana |
| 8th | 1990 | Mr. Fashion | Wendy Wild | |
| 9th | 1991 | El Vez | Lynda Barry | |
| 10th | 1992 | Richard Eagen | Daisy Eagen | |
| 11th | 1993 | -- | Karen Duffy | |
| 12th | 1994 | Jose Gutierrez | Rosemary DiPetro | |
| 13th | 1995 | Spyro Poulos | Shut-Up Shelly | |
| 14th | 1996 | Fred Kahl | Kiva Kahl | |
| 15th | 1996 | Ron Kuby | Jennifer Miller | |
| 16th | 1998 | David Byrne | World Famous Bob | |
| 17th | 1999 | Curtis Sliwa | Queen Latifah | |
| 18th | 2000 | Rabbi Abraham | Katya Kahl | |
| 19th | 2001 | Hector Camacho Jr. | Kembra Pfahler | |
| 20th | 2002 | Marty Markowitz | Toni Senecal | |
| 21st | 2003 | Bill Evens | Kate Duyn | |
| 22nd | 2004 | | Moby | Theo |
| 23rd | 2005 | | David Johansen (Dexter Poindexter) | Karmen Guy |
| 24th | 2006 | | Lucky Diamond Rick (no-show!) | Bambi the Mermaid |
| 25th | 2007 | | Adam Savage | queen |
| 26th | 2008 | | Reverend Billy Talen | Savitri Durkee |
