Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed Monday that all New York parades and city-permitted events will be canceled for the month of June, as the city works feverishly to contain the spread of COVID-19.
However, the Coney Island Mermaid Parade previously scheduled for June 20, and while it is now canceled they said, eventually, the show will go on, reports Patch.
Dick Zigun, the founder of Coney Island USA and one of the Mermaid Parade's main organizers said the event will be rescheduled.
"We maintain a can-do attitude, but it's up to the city," Zigun wrote.
As the parade joins a growing list of canceled public events, Zigun hopes to schedule the live parade for either later in August or in the fall. While he is in agreement with the city's measure to keep residents safe amid the pandemic, the inclusive space that the Mermaid Parade provided New Yorkers remains unmatched.
If city-permitted events remain on hold for the rest of 2020, there are plans to move the mermaid parade online. While the tradition would be less spirited if held in a virtual space, it would be an event many New Yorkers could look forward to. The virtual plan includes pretaped floats with costumed participants practicing social distancing from an undisclosed Coney Island beach location.
No executive decisions will be made regarding rescheduling or moving the parade online until Coney Island USA receives the go-ahead from the city. In the meantime, updates will be posted on Coney Island's official site.
Avid mermaid parade-goers can expect to crown their king and queen by this weekend.
