On Saturday, Mermaids Will Reign on Surf Avenue in Coney Island

Good morning. It’s Friday. Today, and on Fridays through the summer, we’ll focus on things to do in New York over the weekend.

Credit…Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

It is time for an extravaganza on Coney Island that is hip, tacky and wacky. Hundreds of mermaids — sequined and finned — will splish-splash their way down Surf Avenue in the annual Mermaid Parade on Saturday.

“The Mermaid Parade is as New York as it gets,” said Adam Rinn, the artistic director of Coney Island U.S.A., the nonprofit organization that runs the parade.

Daniel Murphy, the executive director of the Alliance for Coney Island, which represents neighborhood businesses and will have a float in the parade, said the spectacle is “the most conveniently located parade for a hot June day.” It will end with the ritualistic “opening” of the Atlantic Ocean by the king and queen of the parade.

Rinn, whose job description includes choosing the king and queen, said that the parade was “vibrant,” “welcoming” and “creative,” as well as an “artistic celebration of ancient mythology” in a neighborhood with streets named Mermaid and Neptune. He also called it “the coolest art parade in the country.”