Mer-folk of New York City, rejoice: It appears the 44th annual Mermaid Parade will return to Coney Island this summer after all.<\/p>\n
In early March, the beloved neighborhood parade looked like it might be canceled. Coney Island USA, the nonprofit that produces the event, announced it was facing an \u201curgent financial crisis\u201d and needed donations to fund it this year.<\/p>\n
Since then the nonprofit\u2019s GoFundMe campaign<\/a> has taken in thousands of dollars and blown past multiple fundraising targets.<\/p>\n \u201cThe outpouring of support has been incredible,\u201d said Adam Rinn, Coney Island USA\u2019s artistic director, veteran sword swallower<\/a> and self-described \u201cyacht rock captain\u201d of the Mermaid Parade.<\/p>\n While the organization still hopes to raise more, Rinn said he\u2019s \u201cvery confident\u201d it’ll bring in enough money to produce this year\u2019s parade. The nonprofit\u2019s GoFundMe page shows it has raised more than $35,000 of a current $40,000 goal.<\/p>\n The Mermaid Parade is tentatively set for June 20<\/a>. The event is a largely DIY affair. Inspired by traditional Mardi Gras celebrations, parade-goers come dressed in homemade mermaid and sea creature outfits and build huge elaborate floats. Judges give out awards for the best costumes, floats and performance groups.<\/p>\n The parade\u2019s organizers say the nonprofit’s fiscal woes have multiple roots.<\/p>\n For one, Coney Island USA spent heavily over the past year to oppose the proposed Coney Island casino project. The nonprofit put out highly produced videos<\/a> about how the massive casino would change the neighborhood and even staged a fake funeral<\/a> mourning the potential loss of the Mermaid Parade.<\/p>\n