Erika Powell, left, and Asha Amouri show off their mermaid outfits on Poets Beach in Portland for the Portlandia Mermaid Parade on July 29, 2023. Powell drove up from San Francisco last night to make it to the parade and was also in Coney Island's Mermaid Parade in June.
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"Serephina," one of the drag performers at the Portlandia Mermaid Parade, takes a bow after their performance on July 29, 2023. Serephina ended up winning the title of Portlandia Mermaid Parade Sea Queen.
Caden Perry / OPB
"Capricus," left, shows his steed, Pepe the King Prawn, to Dena Schofield, center, and her child at the Portlandia Mermaid Parade on July 29, 2023. Schofield said she put together the cart, umbrella and costumes all in the span of one night on a whim.
Caden Perry / OPB
Greyson Faith, center, offers a seashell wish at the Portlandia Mermaid Parade on July 29, 2023. Parade-goers made wishes into seashells and threw them in to the Willamette River for good luck.
Caden Perry / OPB
"Una the Mermaid" tells mermaid stories from around the globe at the opening ceremony for the Portlandia Mermaid Parade on July 29, 2023. Stories of mermaids come from all over the world, including the Kalapuya in the Pacific Northwest to the stories of sirens in ancient Mesopotamia.
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Joel Collier, left, and Jeff Hinshaw look out at the Willamette River from Poets Beach in Portland on July 29, 2023. Collier and Hinshaw were mermaid-ing on the Columbia River with a friend last week when they heard about the Portlandia Mermaid Parade.
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Lisa Anderson, left, and Hannah Heller say "Shello!" for a picture at the Portlandia Mermaid Parade on July 29, 2023. Although both from Portland, their mermaid personas come from "the Southeast Lagoon," according to Anderson and Heller.
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The Mermaid Parade makes its way through the Portland Saturday Market on the Portland waterfront on July 29, 2023. The parade was led by mer-ambassadors ages 8 to 17 years old, selected for their commitment to community service and representing the mermaid community.
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Dani Stotler from Tigard, Ore., swishes their ribbon as they follow the Portlandia Mermaid Parade in the South Waterfront Park on July 29, 2023. The Mermaid Parade started at the Japanese American Historical Plaza and finished at Poets Beach under the Marquam Bridge.
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"Malachi the Sailor," an impromptu performer from Asheville, North Carolina, dances to Gangnam Style by Psy for his drag performance in the Portlandia Mermaid Parade on July 29, 2023. Malachi was in Portland to visit family and heard about the parade right before leaving North Carolina.
Caden Perry / OPB
Merpeople made an onshore visit to the Portland waterfront on Saturday to honor drag icon Darcelle XV in the 7th annual Portlandia Mermaid Parade and Festival.
This year, the theme of the Mermaid Parade was drag. Many mermaids take a lot of inspiration from drag outfits and organizers wanted to honor the late Darcelle XV, a legendary Portland drag performer who died in March.
Other Portlanders have honored Darcelle XV this summer, including with a world record-breaking drag show and the renaming of a Portland town square in the drag performer’s honor.
“For many of us, Darcelle was a beloved icon in Portland,” said parade organizer Una the Mermaid, who says she is a mermaid in her personal and professional life. “I think for us, there is certainly a lot of gender fluidity with merfolk and in the legends and mythology of merpeople.”
Una said that, contrary to the common narrative, merfolk in legends do not have one defined gender but are usually shape-shifting beings. This idea has become very important to people in the mer community.
“When we step out there as merfolk, we’re engaging in a form of drag. We’re exaggerating and we’re bringing out these parts of ourselves that maybe we in our daily lives wouldn’t necessarily do,” Una said.
The Portlandia Mermaid Parade crowned a Sea King and Queen in a tiebreaker for their performances. The winners received sashes and scepters to help lead the parade down to Poets Beach on the South waterfront.
Una said that creating an actual culture of inclusivity has been hard work. “It’s not just a matter of saying, ‘We’re inclusive, so you can come.’ It’s been a long process of hearing the stories of people in the community who do not feel represented.”