{"id":205010,"date":"2026-04-21T18:38:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T18:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/205010\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T18:38:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T18:38:37","slug":"mermaid-parade-secures-lifeline-as-bp-reynoso-funding-helps-revive-coney-island-tradition-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/205010\/","title":{"rendered":"Mermaid Parade secures lifeline as BP Reynoso funding helps revive Coney Island tradition \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Weeks after uncertainty cast a shadow over one of Brooklyn\u2019s most beloved summer traditions, organizers of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade say the tide has turned \u2014 thanks in part to a last-minute commitment from Borough President Antonio Reynoso.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Following his announcement at last week\u2019s annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brooklynpaper.com\/reynoso-borough-president-state-of-the-borough-2026\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">State of the Borough address<\/a>, parade leaders confirmed the funding boost is already helping transform what once felt like a scramble into a full-fledged comeback.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to Adam Rinn, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coneyisland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Coney Island USA\u2019s<\/a> artistic director, Reynoso\u2019s office reached out after seeing mounting public support \u2014 and media coverage \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brooklynpaper.com\/mermaid-parade-funding-continues-2026\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">highlighting the parade\u2019s financial strain<\/a>. In previous Brooklyn Paper reporting, concerns over rising costs and sponsorship gaps had placed the future of the Mermaid Parade in question, sparking a wave of grassroots fundraising and advocacy efforts across the borough.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Reynoso\u2019s outreach came directly.\u00a0<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-241703\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mermaidpaade33.webp.jpeg\" alt=\"Mermaid Parade\" width=\"658\" height=\"526\"  \/>Rinn said Reynoso\u2019s office reached out directly, thanks to widespread efforts and media coverage.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Reynoso] had reached out to us after seeing some of the things on social media \u2014 and some of the articles,\u201d Rinn told Brooklyn Paper. \u201cHe committed to helping ensure that the Mermaid Parade will live to see another year, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the exact amount of funding from Borough Hall has not been disclosed, Rinn said the combined total, including community-raised funds through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brooklynpaper.com\/fight-save-coney-island-mermaid-parade\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GoFundMe campaign<\/a>,\u00a0is already making a measurable difference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt means we are now able to really fully start getting the gears in motion,\u201d they said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at a significant amount to get the ball rolling at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-241700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mermaid-parade21.webp.jpeg\" alt=\"Mermaid Parade\" width=\"641\" height=\"513\"  \/>Rinn (middle) and members of the Coney Island USA team were invited to the State of the Borough Address last Thursday.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n<p>The turnaround comes after weeks of uncertainty. As previously reported, l<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brooklynpaper.com\/fight-save-coney-island-mermaid-parade\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ocal advocates and artists rallied to \u201csave\u201d the Mermaid Parade<\/a>, framing it as more than just a spectacle, but a defining piece of Brooklyn\u2019s cultural identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, with funding in place, organizers say planning is accelerating despite the late start. A presenting sponsor is expected to be announced within the coming weeks, and the parade\u2019s \u201croyal court\u201d \u2014 a hallmark of the event \u2014 is already finalized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThings are beautifully falling into place, even though we got a bit of a late start,\u201d Rinn continued.\u00a0<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-241701\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mermaidparade22.webp.jpeg\" alt=\"Mermaid Parade\" width=\"636\" height=\"509\"  \/>Rinn told Brooklyn Paper that the wheels are in place to continue this year\u2019s Mermaid Parade.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann\n<\/p>\n<p>The Mermaid Parade, known for its elaborate costumes, seaside pageantry, and thousands of participants, draws crowds from across the city each summer. For Rinn and other members of the Coney Island community, its survival this year carries added meaning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt really is going to be, as always, a celebration of exactly what we do and who we are,\u201d the organizer said. \u201cEveryone that involves themselves \u2014 spectators, marchers \u2014 it\u2019s a great day for them as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But this year, Rinn added, feels different.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt feels like such a special year because the community has rallied so much,\u201d they said. \u201cWe beat down a casino. We raised the money. It\u2019s good. It really is special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 44th Annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade is scheduled for Saturday, June 20.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Weeks after uncertainty cast a shadow over one of Brooklyn\u2019s most beloved summer traditions, organizers of the Coney&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205011,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[2898,98,23161,9788,3462,81228,100,99,23837,81229,81230,81231,80050,45628,81232,81233,81234,9,24,63,81235,81236,67181,81237,81238],"class_list":{"0":"post-205010","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-antonio-reynoso","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-brooklyn-arts","11":"tag-brooklyn-borough-president","12":"tag-brooklyn-culture","13":"tag-brooklyn-events-2026","14":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","15":"tag-brooklyn-news","16":"tag-brooklyn-politics","17":"tag-community-fundraising-nyc","18":"tag-coney-island-development","19":"tag-coney-island-events","20":"tag-coney-island-mermaid-parade","21":"tag-coney-island-news","22":"tag-gofundme-mermaid-parade","23":"tag-mermaid-parade-comeback","24":"tag-mermaid-parade-funding","25":"tag-new-york","26":"tag-new-york-city","27":"tag-nyc","28":"tag-nyc-festivals","29":"tag-nyc-local-news","30":"tag-nyc-summer-events","31":"tag-save-mermaid-parade","32":"tag-state-of-the-borough-2026"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}