The First Big Coney Island Weekend of the Year

After all the wrangling over and fears about Coney Island's future, we take pleasure in noting the wonderful events that will be taking place there this weekend.

First, there will be a fireworks display on Friday night at 9:30. It's not the regular Friday night fireworks. Those start next Friday (6/29) and will take place every Friday night through Labor Day. These fireworks are part of an event called "Above the Boardwalk" in honor of the Parachute Jump and will be preceded by a talk by a picnic and talk by Leni Schwendinger, who designed the landmark's illumination. The fireworks start at 9:30.

You certainly don't need GL to tell you about the Mermaid Parade, but it will be taking place on Saturday. It's the 25th Anniversary Edition and it starts at two o'clock. If you've never seen it in person, well, it's a one-of-a-kind event. The Mermaid Parade Ball will be special this year, as it takes place inside the historic old Childs Building. It's the first time that there's been public access to the interior for an event in 60 years. The Ball runs from 6-12 and we're going to guess that buying tickets in advance will be a very good idea this year.