Coney Island’s Siren Festival; How it hit me.

So Saturday was Coney Island’s Siren Festival. The Village Voice has been promoting the shit out of this thing. I think it’s their little baby every summer. And why wouldn’t you want to let it be known to New York that you were responsible for an all day free festival featuring hip bands like the Raveonettes and Built to Spill in Coney Island? Reason to brag, right?

I suppose so. I did have fun at Siren Festival. Believe me. And how couldn’t I? I got to watch Grand Duchy play on a beautiful day with the background of the Cyclone… all for free. But I found as time ran on I got tired of running back and forth, zig- zagging in and out of the masses of people who didn’t care about the festival at all from stage 1 to stage to to catch the band I wanted to see. By 6 p.m. I was exhausted, and I had only been there a couple of hours. I said adios to my friends pretending like I was going home and indulged in the Coney Island Freak show.

 

View of stage 2 at the Village Voice's 2009 Siren Festival in Coney Island

This scene and the knowledge that I was at a free festival made me think I was at a Grateful Dead show.

 

View of Stage 1 in front of the Cyclone, and the grand Grand Duchy's performance.

 

I left the Raveonettes to go see the MC for the freakshow bargin with the crowd. He lowered admission prices to $3.

Yes, I actually did pay 50 cents to see the Giant Rat, which in reality... is a gofer.

 

After the gofer- incident I knew better then to pay to see the Giant Snake.

 

I must admit I was tempted to see the Headless Woman, but I stayed strong and saved my 50 cents for a much- needed Capri Sun.

2009 Coney Island Mermaid Parade

Ahhhh, yes, the Mermaid Parade. While this was my first year of the Mermaid Parade, I still only made it to the tail (or flipper) end. This didn’t stop me from witnessing some amazingly constructed costumes and wonderfully creative people!

 

 

Little Mermaid Girl 

 

I saw this (man?) on the subway before going to the parade. Amazing! 

 

Gotta love Brooklyn’s bold and daring. 

 

Stealin’ the show. 

 

Goes to show the MTA really does have their hand in everything. 

 

Straight from the NYC sewers. 

 

Awesome Man 

 

I actually do believe this woman is, in fact, a Mermaid. 

 

Although it was less shocking than many other costumes, I loved what this woman did with the back of her gown. 

All photos by Cat Agonis.

 

C.A.