When mermaids march to the sea.

I have been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans and would have said nothing compares – until I saw the mermaids. Hundreds of slightly gaudy, brightly sequined women – and men – danced down the boardwalk on an overcast afternoon at Coney Island.

Mermen, human flounders, stingrays, and a storm trooper in a Speedo marched to the edge of the Atlantic where fruit offerings were tossed into the ocean. It's a revelry that rivals Carnival.