Here are some more photos from the MerPalooza mermaid convention, which took place in Orlando, Florida the weekend of August 10th, 2012. In 2013, MerPalooza is scheduled for August 9th through 11th. Visit the event's web site for all the splashy details.
Below, Stephanie William Sims, one of the event organizers, shares some information about this year's event.
Stephanie: MerPalooza 2012, mermaiding’s annual event, was a feast for the eyes and truly the largest gathering of merfolk! Thursday night kicked off a directors’ meeting. Press opportunities and interviews occurred Friday. Friday evening’s highlight was a tiki bar poolside “meet and greet” with mers from Canada, California, Colorado and beyond!
Stephanie: Saturday’s trade show featured 40 vendors and hundreds of attendees, many of whom were new to the “mer” concept. Awards followed, where the mermaid and pirate community’s top honors were bestowed upon deserving recipients. The International Mermaid Pageant had 28 contestants. Afterwards, there was a pool party under the stars. The rain could not keep these fish out of the water - It was magical! Attendees enjoyed the parks and photo opportunities, excursions to the waterways around Florida, Weeki Wachee, etc.
Stephanie: Notable attendees included Traci Hines, singer, Thom Shouse, Vira the California Mermaid, photographer Cate Vail, entertainers Alexanderia the Great, Liang Patti from America’s Got Talent, belly dancers Hips of Destruction, magician Brandon Smith, Stephanie from Gasparilla, and so many more, including most of the big name tailmakers in the industry.
We had wonderful artists, including Tammy Derwick and Jennifer OBremski. Tammy created our official poster and tee shirt.
Cynthia: A big splash of thanks to Gary Antol, Jr. and to photographers Cate Vail, Stephanie William Sims, and Bob Pickering for submitting these and many other photos to the MerPalooza Facebook page.
The exhibit “Mermaids and Merwomen in Black Folklore” is being held at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in historic Charleston, South Carolina from now through October 28, 2012. There will be an opening reception on September 8th from 6pm to 8pm EDT. For more information on this exhibit, see my earlier blog post.
Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com
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