Don’t miss Oscoda’s Pirates and Mermaids Festival in August
An entire community will seek to beat the world record for most merpeople in one place during Oscoda’s Pirates and Mermaids Festival, running Friday-Saturday, Aug. 1-2 at Oscoda Beach Park.
The must-see event is the first annual gathering in Oscoda, organized by Miss Michigan Mermaid Elyssa Steward, a native of the area herself.
“My family still lives in Oscoda,” Steward said. “I’ve been Miss Michigan Mermaid for about six years and I compete in pageantry all over the United States, fighting for clear water in the Great Lakes.
“At one point, I traveled to the Norfolk Harbor Festival in Mermaid City, Virginia, and it was so magical watching the mermaid community and the public interact together. I love seeing the magical smiles on all the kids’ faces and I thought, Oscoda should have something like this.”
Why take a stab at the Guinness World Record? To bring the title back to Michigan, of course.
“There used to be a Mermaid Festival in South Haven, and they were the first people to break the record with 157 merpeople,” Steward said.
“Down the line, MerPeople came out on Netflix and, during an episode where they were doing a pageant, Virgin Voyages decided to break the record. They handed out a mermaid tail to everyone on the cruise ship, and the mermaid community wasn’t able to be part of it. We want to bring it back.”
To break the record, the festival will need to gather 458 merpeople on Aug. 1. All are welcome to participate, with line-up starting at 12:30 p.m. at a blocked-off area to the right of the bathhouse.
“You’ll need a mermaid skirt of ankle-length or a tail, either is fine, and a bathing suit top,” Steward said. “Swim garments, such as bikini tops, tankinis, one-pieces, clamshell bras, all counts. Men can choose to be shirtless, but we’re going to stay away from t-shirt material and street clothes, because they won’t count.”
To help the group get an accurate count ahead of time, you can register on Eventbrite. The event is hosted by Oscoda Citizens for Clean Water.
But there’s much more to see beyond the record attempt, which will be followed by a costume contest. There’ll be arts and crafts, live music, vendors, and three separate tank companies with mermaid performers and tank time available, for those interested in giving their tails a try.
“There are private mermaid photo sessions,” Steward said. “We also have magicians, pirate acrobatics, pirate unicycle shows, face-painting, hair tinsel, you can get your make-up done, you can get tattoos — anything you can think of.”
The event runs Aug. 1-2 from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Tanks open at 9 a.m.
