3/11 Amanda Palmer - In My Mind @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC 5/25/13
Channel: wojo4hitz
Date: 2013-05-26

Mermaid Parade Benefit Concert!  

Help Save the largest Art Parade in America!  Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/377116752/save-the-coney-island-mermaid-from-extinction?ref=card

The Mermaid Parade is artists, it's community, it's Brooklyn weirdos, it's people flying in from all over the world and, most importantly, The Mermaid Parade is YOU. Every year since 1983, it has enabled artistic New Yorkers to find self-expression in public. It's an American celebration of ancient mythology and honky-tonk rituals of the seaside, and it showcases over 1,500 creative individuals from all over the five boroughs, kicking off the summer with incredible art, an entrepreneurial spirit and unflagging Coney Island pride.

The parade is more than a joyful romp down Mermaid Avenue, Surf Avenue and Neptune Avenue; it's the people's celebration of Coney Island, New York City and all the values of individuality, creativity and style that make our city so great. It's a major New York holiday and cultural institution that was invented by and for artists! And it's something we've been doing proudly for the community for 30 years.

We don't want to stop. We never want to stop.

But we might not have a choice.
750,000 of you showed up last year alone!750,000 of you showed up last year alone!

A free parade is expensive. As the crowds have grown to 750,000 people over the past years, we've had to contend with more regulations and restrictions that have sharply increased the cost of the event. We knew this year would be a struggle, but we thought we were going to make it. We would raise fees slightly, we would put on more shows during the year, and we would have a couple of fun benefits.

And then Hurricane Sandy came along.
The museum and performance space - our source of income - were destroyed by Sandy.The museum and performance space - our source of income - were destroyed by Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the Coney Island community. It also destroyed our historical museum and performance space at 1208 Surf Avenue. We rely on the income from our popular side-show and gift shop, along with registration fees, to pay for the Mermaid Parade. With our building severely damaged and donations slowing to a trickle, our not-for-profit has had virtually no income. In many ways we're still underwater. What this all means is that the 31st Mermaid Parade now has a budget shortfall of $100,000. This is an impossible gap for a tiny not-for-profit arts organization like ours.

But we're scrappy. We're strong. We have faith that New Yorkers, Brooklynites, and our extended family of friends all around the country and the world will refuse to let the Mermaid Parade wash into the sea.

But we need your help.