Healthy competition is good for all of us, and healthy competition among our city’s beaches only means we have more summery love to spread around to this city’s eight million people. Coney Island and Rockaway are very different kinds of places — the latter is of course more of a boardwalk amusement park, with amenities trending toward Times Square-ishness lately, while Rockaway is embracing its arty, grungy surf vibe. And now, as of last year, they both have parades featuring the march of sea creatures. Coney Island’s famous Mermaid Parade kicks off summer every June; now Rockaway has its own Poseidon’s Parade to close out the season in September on the boardwalk, which this year finally finished its post-Sandy rebuild.
The event, held this Saturday, is inspired by the peninsula’s annual in the Mermaid Parade, which means it’s a family friendly art-parade full of costumes, creativity and floats, and celebrates the Queens neighborhood’s resilience after the storm destroyed many homes (many of which are still not rebuilt btw). And since it’s a new event, it probably won’t be filled with #brands trying to get your attention just yet.
“Poseidon is a symbol that speaks to the resilience of Rockaway,” organizer Casey Brouder said in a statement on the website. “After all we have been through as a community, we can pay homage to the strong and beautiful ocean we can’t seem to live without.”
The parade begins on Saturday (Sept. 17) at 11 a.m, rain or shine; it starts at Beach 106th and ends at Beach 95th on the boardwalk. Watching is free, of course.
Register to march in the parade here: Individuals cost $5, floats are $30. Prizes are awarded for a handful of categories you can see here. Here’s a taste of what the inaugural parade looked like on a foggy day last year:
This year's winning float in the Child category! #PoseidonParade pic.twitter.com/QtwPgcrBwH
— Bella Pori (@BellaPori) September 19, 2015
Little Mermaid sing-along at the #PoseidonParade. Excellent turn out, can't wait until next year! pic.twitter.com/v79FKfrNCk
— Bella Pori (@BellaPori) September 19, 2015
A photo posted by @penelopes.jewels on
A photo posted by Sarina Dailey (@moodypix_) on
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