Event De-Tails...
The Parade
The 4th annual Portlandia Mermaid Parade is happening on Saturday July 27th, 2019 and it is a FREE family friendly, gender neutral, and body positive event celebrating water mythology and all things mermaid. Please click on the other web-links to learn more about the mission and facts of this event.
event times
Gathering & Opening Ceremony 12noon
Parade Starts 1pm (ish)
Beach Party @ Poets Beach 2pm-4pm
Parade Starts 1pm (ish)
Beach Party @ Poets Beach 2pm-4pm
2019 parade theme
Our parade theme for 2019 is "EAST meets WEST!"
"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river of joy within you." -Rumi
Each year the Portlandia Mermaid Parade will choose an annual parade theme.
Individuals and groups can use this theme as inspiration for costumes, push floats, and other social messages.
"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river of joy within you." -Rumi
Each year the Portlandia Mermaid Parade will choose an annual parade theme.
Individuals and groups can use this theme as inspiration for costumes, push floats, and other social messages.
Grand Marshal & Mermazing Citizen Award
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For the past four years, artist Emily Miller has collected “ghost net” fishing rope debris from the beaches
of Oregon, Kauai, and Maine and stitched the material into colorful coiled baskets. Last year, visiting her
home on Kauai, she witnessed a massive two-ton landscape of ghost net debris, collected in just a few
months by the volunteers at Surfrider Kauai. Determined to share this experience with others, Emily
organized the Ghost Net Landscape project, an art gallery installation and collaborative performance.
During the exhibit, Emily works together with visitors to transform 1,000 pounds of ghost net into
artwork. The first exhibit of Ghost Net Landscape was hosted by Elisabeth Jones Art Center in Portland
during May and June of this year. The exhibit brought together dozens of artists, ocean lovers, and
coastal industry leaders to share their skills and explore new solutions to transform this dangerous
marine waste into a resource.
This year, Surfrider Kauai is collecting ten thousand pounds of ghost net each month from Kauai’s
beaches, washed up by strong currents from across the Pacific Ocean. Together with ghost net collected
here in Oregon by State Park rangers, plus responsibly recycled fishing rope and net from the Port of
Grays Harbor in Washington, a small fraction of this debris will be at the next Ghost Net Landscape
exhibit coming up in October 2019 in Forest Grove. This project comes to life with your collaborative
energy. Emily invites each of you to learn more about participating online at www.ghostnetart.com
of Oregon, Kauai, and Maine and stitched the material into colorful coiled baskets. Last year, visiting her
home on Kauai, she witnessed a massive two-ton landscape of ghost net debris, collected in just a few
months by the volunteers at Surfrider Kauai. Determined to share this experience with others, Emily
organized the Ghost Net Landscape project, an art gallery installation and collaborative performance.
During the exhibit, Emily works together with visitors to transform 1,000 pounds of ghost net into
artwork. The first exhibit of Ghost Net Landscape was hosted by Elisabeth Jones Art Center in Portland
during May and June of this year. The exhibit brought together dozens of artists, ocean lovers, and
coastal industry leaders to share their skills and explore new solutions to transform this dangerous
marine waste into a resource.
This year, Surfrider Kauai is collecting ten thousand pounds of ghost net each month from Kauai’s
beaches, washed up by strong currents from across the Pacific Ocean. Together with ghost net collected
here in Oregon by State Park rangers, plus responsibly recycled fishing rope and net from the Port of
Grays Harbor in Washington, a small fraction of this debris will be at the next Ghost Net Landscape
exhibit coming up in October 2019 in Forest Grove. This project comes to life with your collaborative
energy. Emily invites each of you to learn more about participating online at www.ghostnetart.com
Start Location
The opening ceremony and parade start location will be at the:
Japanese American Historical Plaza
located along the downtown Portland Waterfront Promenade.
( NW Naito Parkway & NW Couch St)
Parade Route
We gather at 12noon for the opening ceremony and performances. We begin the parade at 1pm.
The entire parade route will be along the Portland Waterfront sidewalk promenade, and we will make our way down to Poets Beach.
The parade is a little over 1 mile in length, and is ADA friendly. We will not be in any streets, or even have to cross over any streets.
If you only want to watch, you can sit anywhere along the grass where there is room. The Oregon Brewers Festival will be happening this same weekend, so be aware there will be a section of the waterfront where you will not be able to sit, due to a fencing perimeter.
Small push carts, floats, wagons and decorated pedi-cabs are encouraged.
Poets Beach Swim
The Parade will dead end at Poets Beach under the Marquam Bridge. We will be gathering folks there for a large mermaid parade group photo along the beach. There is also a large upper area perfect for picnicking, and a beach below for swimming! Feel free to hang around for some social time and mermaid frolicking! Please note the beach itself is not exactly ADA friendly, but there is plenty of space above with a view, for those who may not be able to get down to the water.
For folks who may not know, the Poets Beach project was a collaborative effort between the Human Access Project, Honoring Our Rivers, Willamette Partnership, and Flowing Solutions. Approval for the project was received from the US Army Corp of Engineers, Department of State Lands, and Portland Parks and Recreation. The work has been funded by Human Access Project, Oregon Wildlife, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Wildwood | Mahonia, and NW Natural.
Along the path are stones engraved with children’s poems that speak for the Willamette River. Also inscribed are native Chinook words provided by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, who have honored the river since time immemorial. The engraving work was done by Peter Attila Andrusko of Written In Stone Productions. For more information about the Human Access Project, please visit: www.humanaccessproject.com
For folks who may not know, the Poets Beach project was a collaborative effort between the Human Access Project, Honoring Our Rivers, Willamette Partnership, and Flowing Solutions. Approval for the project was received from the US Army Corp of Engineers, Department of State Lands, and Portland Parks and Recreation. The work has been funded by Human Access Project, Oregon Wildlife, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Wildwood | Mahonia, and NW Natural.
Along the path are stones engraved with children’s poems that speak for the Willamette River. Also inscribed are native Chinook words provided by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, who have honored the river since time immemorial. The engraving work was done by Peter Attila Andrusko of Written In Stone Productions. For more information about the Human Access Project, please visit: www.humanaccessproject.com
contact
Questions? Comments? Want to get involved? Find the Portlandia Mermaid Parade on Facebook by clicking the social icon link below, or send a message!
