The heroically hirsute gathered at Sideshows by the Seashore this past Saturday for the 11th annual Coney Island Beard and Mustache Competition. The area’s biggest beardos competed in categories like best natural beard, best styled beard, and best fake (given to a baby with a Sharpie mustache). Contestants were welcome to enter multiple categories, hence the guy who snagged “Most in Show” honors by shaving his beard onstage in order to enter the partial beard category, styling his mustache and beard after competing in the natural categories, and even wearing a mop as a fake beard.
“Worst in Show” went to “Handsome” Dick Manitoba, owner of East Village bar Manitoba’s, after he went on some tirades about how Brooklyn sucks and the Bronx is the realest. The Dictators frontman co-hosted the event with Adam RealMan, who opened the show with sideshow antics like swallowing multiple cigarettes and ended it by giving audience members shots of whiskey through a tube that went through his nose and out of his mouth. Yum!
Of course, the main attraction was the beard and mustache competition, judged by author Larry “Ratso” Sloman and others. Click through our slideshow to see the frenzy of facial hair.