Coney Art Walls Return, Bringing the Burger Records Beach Bash With ‘Em

There’s good news and bad news coming out of Coney Island, home of the Feltman’s hot dog. First, the bad news: The Mermaid Parade has suffered some “fairly serious financial crisis events” and has started a fundraising campaign to ensure that it survives beyond this year’s June 17 carnival, which will be led by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie.

Now, the good: The Coney Art Walls are reopening for the season on Saturday, and bringing a host of new artists and food vendors.

According to an announcement from Thor Equities, which owns the empty lot on Stillwell Avenue, curators Joseph Sitt and Jeffrey Deitch have secured new murals from Crash, Alexis Diaz, Jim Drain, Ganzeer, Shantell Martin, Marie Roberts, Chris Stain, and someone Deitch is particularly excited about: “legendary New York artist Lee Quinones, one of the inventors of Wild Style.” Their murals will go up in the next couple of weeks, so you may get to catch them painting.

Once again, the booze will be courtesy of Greenwood Beach. This year, food will be dished out by chicken-and-waffles truck Chick-N-Cone, tacos-and-dogs truck Coney Shack, mobile pizzeria Neapolitan Express and Staten Island gastropub The Hop Shoppe. Also in the mix is Lower East Side favorite Patacon Pisao, which, incidentally, just teamed with Ice & Vice to come up with a guava ice cream served in a cachapa, or sweet corn crepe. It’s available at the Essex Street store through May 21.

Among the events returning this year are the Unicorn Carnival on July 8 (last year’s featured performances by Tori Deal, Baby Raptors, and Miss Velvet) and the Burger Records Beach Bash on July 22 (last year’s featured GZA, Andrew W.K., and Har Mar Superstar).

Coney Art Walls at 3050 Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island; open noon to 10pm, through September.