On Saturday, June 23, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined a record number of Brooklynites as they celebrated the silver anniversary of the one-and-only Coney Island Mermaid Parade, the nation’s largest art parade.

The Mermaid Parade was founded in 1983 by the not-for-profit arts organization Coney Island, USA to pay homage to Coney Island’s Mardi Gras, which ran from 1903 to 1954. The parade celebrates the beach, the beginning of summer, and Coney Island pride. Parade revelers dress in handmade costumes as mermaids, neptunes, and various sea creatures, and are led by a celebrity King Neptune and Queen Mermaid, who assist in the opening of the beach for the summer season.

This year’s King Neptune was Adam Savage, host and star of MythBusters, and Queen Mermaid was Patti D'Arbanville, star of Rescue Me.