By Liz O’Connor, Business Insider

The 31st Annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade kicked off at 1 PM on Saturday June 29th with more nipple tassels, body paint, and elaborate mermaid tails than ever.

This year’s parade was in jeopardy after damage costs from Superstorm Sandy left organizers scrambling for parade funds, but a successful Kickstarter campaign raised $115,000 for the show to go on.

The ocean-themed celebration is the largest art parade in the world, with thousands of participants flocking to Brooklyn each year to march through the streets in their finest and most scandalous Mermaid attire. This year parade organizers expect more than 750,000 spectators — record numbers — to line the parade route.

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NOTE: Photos from 2012 Mermaid Parade