About Coney Island USA

Coney Island USA

Since 1980, Coney Island USA has developed and produced a variety of programming — including some of New York City’s best-loved summer programs, like the Mermaid Parade and Mermaid Ball, and the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. Coney Island USA also operates the Coney Island Museum and produces Ask the Experts; Burlesque at the Beach; Congress of Curious Peoples; Music of Curiosities; Puppets Come Home; and the Coney Island Sideshow School. Coney Island USA also produces the Coney Island Film Festival in association with indiefilmpage.com. We present programming in three unique venues: the Coney Island Museum, the Sideshows by the Seashore Theater, and the Shooting Gallery/Arts Annex (located at 1214 Surf Avenue), serving both New York City and an international community that includes visitors to Coney Island and enthusiasts of various cultural forms.

Mission

Coney Island USA exists to defend the honor of American popular culture through innovative exhibitions and performances. Presenting and producing exciting new works, our approach is rooted in mass culture and the traditions of P.T. Barnum, dime museums, burlesque, circus sideshows, vaudeville, and Coney Island itself. Preserving and championing a set of uniquely American visual and performing art forms, we seek to create an international forum for cultural preservation and discourse, and where Coney Island represents these impulses, we strive to make it once again a center for live art and entrepreneurial spirit.

Staff

James Fitzsimmons | Executive Director

Adam Rinn | Artistic Director

Patrick Wall | General Manager

Laure Leber | House Manager/Gift Shop Director

Lisa Mangels-Schaefer | Museum Curator

Coney Island USA building, Photo by Norman Blake

Coney Island USA operates a multi-arts center located in the heart of Coney Island. Built in 1917, 1208 Surf Avenue is a classic example of the Spanish Revival architecture commonly used in Coney Island during the early twentieth century. Designed by architect John C. Westervelt, it was the first of two restaurants in the amusement district owned and operated by Childs, a chain of restaurants catering to working and middle-class families.

After Childs closed the Surf Avenue location, the building became home to a series of businesses, including a jazz nightclub (The Bluebird Casino); a classic sideshow (David Rosen’s Wonderland Sideshow); several arcades (Pinto Bros. & Jazz’s); and an Army recruitment center.

Coney Island USA took possession of the building in 1996 and, with funding from NYC, was able to purchase the property in 2008. In 2011, the building was granted landmarked status by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Committee, making it the oldest structure in Coney Island to be protected by law for future generations.

Coney Island USA is an IRS 501(c)(3) Nonprofit arts organization (and a tax deductible charity) founded in 1980 by Costa Mantis, Jane Savitt-Tennen and Dick D. Zigun. Coney Island USA is governed by a Board of Directors currently composed of Jeff Birnbaum, Jane Crotty, Kate Dale, John di Domenico, Harris Falk, James Fitzsimmons, Rick Himes, Steven Jacobs, Lisa Mangels-Schaefer, Adam Rinn, Brett Rollins, Megan Magray, and Denise Carlin. Legal Advice is provided by Moses & Singer, Gibson, Dunn & Crutscher, LLP, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein & Selz, PC.

Coney Island USA is funded, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The New York Community Trust, the New York Council for the Humanities (2014 Congress of Curious Peoples, Coney Island USA's 2012 Disaster Recovery grant), and our loyal members.

  • Coney Island USA, Coney Island, U.S.A., Mermaid Parade, The Mermaid Parade, The Mermaid Parade logo, and the Coney Island USA logo are registered trademarks of Coney Island U.S.A., Inc. and may not be used without the express written permission of Coney Island U.S.A., Inc.

    Coney Island Circus Sideshow, Sideshows By The Seashore, Coney Island Museum, Coney Island U.S.A. Presents, the Coney Island U.S.A. Presents logo, Coney Island Film Festival, Burlesque At The Beach, and Creepshow At The Freak Show are trademarks of Coney Island U.S.A., Inc. and may not be used without the express written permission of Coney Island U.S.A., Inc.

    I have a lot of photos of the Mermaid Parade and am thinking of doing a book about the Parade. Who do I talk to about that?

    You would need to talk to us, Coney Island USA. The Mermaid Parade is a property of Coney Island USA, and use of the name is forbidden without expressed, written consent of Coney Island USA.

    Furthermore, we are required by law to protect the trademark. We know that people love the parade, and we appreciate it, but showing love for the parade by trying to make a buck on it is bad karma and will cost everyone a lot more in legal bills than they will want to pay.

    Contact us with any questions

Coney Island USA neon, Photo by Norman Blake

Coney Island USA wishes to acknowledge and thank these individuals and sponsors for their outstanding generosity:

Mr. John Parascandola, 2022; 2023

Mr. James Taylor, “Impresario of Thrills and Chills “ Member, 2022; 2023

Mr. John Smyth, “Impresario of Thrills and Chills” Member, 2023