Reynoso’s funding closes the financial gap to ensure that the Mermaid Parade will go on this June
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Brooklyn, NY – Yesterday, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso announced $20,000 in funding for Coney Island USA to close the financial gap for the annual Mermaid Parade this June. This funding comes after financial burdens threatened to cancel this year’s parade. Reynoso committed to saving the beloved Brooklyn tradition at his 2026 State of the Borough Address.
“The Mermaid Parade represents the most creative parts of Brooklyn. When I heard that the parade was in jeopardy. there was no question about stepping in to save it,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Thousands of artists, creatives, and everyday Brooklynites have kicked off the summer by marching in the parade for over four decades and losing it would have been a devastating loss for our borough. I am so proud to be able to close the gap for Coney Island USA to ensure that the Mermaid Parade lives on for another year, and I hope that the parade marches on for many years to come.”
Earlier this year, Coney Island USA, the nonprofit which runs the Mermaid Parade, announced that financial woes threatened to jeopardize the annual event this year. Rising costs, declining tourism, and lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for the organization to stay afloat. For this year’s Mermaid Parade, Coney Island USA received a $25,000 sponsorship from Comic Con and organized a GoFundMe campaign which helped raise nearly $40,000 – short of the total needed to keep the parade running. The additional $20,000 from Reynoso helps officially close the financial gap to ensure that the parade could go on this year.
“As the producers of the Mermaid Parade, we’re so grateful to Borough President Reynoso for jumping in to help support the parade financially,” said Coney Island USA Artistic Director Adam Rinn. “I think I can speak for the thousands and thousands of marchers, fans and spectators when I say that the parade means so much to so many people of Brooklyn and beyond and that we all laud the Borough President as the true hero of this year’s parade! The nation’s largest art parade will live on in the best place in the world, Brooklyn!”
