Coney Island Mermaid Parade: Meet the 2024 king and queen

CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (PIX11) – Coney Island, a new King Neptune and Queen Mermaid have been crowned. 

The couple, Joe Coleman and Whitney Ward, will reign over the city’s unofficial start to summer – the Coney Island Mermaid Parade – on June 22. 

Known for Coleman’s art and Ward's prize-winning costumes, the couple were an obvious choice for parade organizers. 

“This is a dream come true,” said Coney Island USA’s Artistic Director Adam Rinn.

Coleman is a painter, performer and sideshow historian, who said he has always been particularly taken by Coney Island despite doing work across the globe with exhibitions in Paris, Berlin, London, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and more. 

“Coney Island has fascinated me since childhood, and has been the subject and inspiration for so many of my paintings and drawings,” Coleman said. 

“It has also driven me to become a historian and custodian of many of the arcane objects that have been responsible for transforming this part of Brooklyn into the magical dreamland it is.”

Beyond being Joe’s muse, Ward is an artist and photographer taken by the dark side of the ocean, she said. Her “over-the-top” costumes have captured parade-goers for over 30 years, according to parade organizers. 

“It’s fun to see the crowd's reactions, especially the kids. I hope it inspires their creativity,” Ward said. “There’s a place for all of us in this parade. It’s truly my high holy day.”

The annual parade, now in its 42nd year, is the nation’s largest art parade and celebrates a “century of Coney Island ingenuity, revelry, and pageantry,” according to organizers. It’s a tribute to New York City creativity, community pride and art. 

The parade kicks off at 1 p.m. on West 21st and Surf Avenue, then leads through Surf Avenue, West 10th Street and onto the boardwalk to finish.