Founded by Dick D. Zigun (pictured below), the Mermaid Parade has been a Coney Island institution since 1983. A self-proclaimed celebration of “ancient mythology” and the “honky-tonk rituals of the seaside,” it embodies everything we love about Brooklyn’s historic entertainment district: iridescent chaos, schmaltzy charm and of course, shameless nudity. This year’s

New York is home to several iconic parades, but none promise quite as much nudity as the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Mermaid costumes are skimpy enough, but a lot of spectators and participants take their nautical costumes to the extreme in the grand tradition of Coney Island spectacle. You’ll see