Ninth annual ‘Bearded and Shucked’ mermaid parade swims through downtown Joshua Tree this Saturday (6/21)

“Bearded and Shucked” is Joshua Tree’s West Coast counterpart to New York City’s Mermaid Parade, taking place in downtown Joshua Tree this Saturday, June 21 in celebration of Pride Month.

In its ninth year, the parade begins in Friendly Hills before stopping at Sam’s Liquor at Hallee and Twentynine Palms Hwy, where revelers can meet up to mobilize with the moving party. From there, the parade will march through the desert into downtown Joshua Tree to the Beatnik Lounge, then to Brewja Elixir, to its final stop at Art Queen. 

When asked if everyone must dress up like a mermaid, organizer Aaron Sheppard verified: 

“It was just always nautical themes. We’ve dressed up as cowboys riding seahorses, one time dressed up as “Tuna-pac Shakur,” one time we dressed up as Diana Princess of Wales, so it’s free reign. People have dressed up as an orca eating a swimmer, but there are a lot of mermaids and a lot of glitter.”

While the parade has remained small at around ten people, Sheppard says he hopes to have both the regulars and newcomers this year, from cooling off in the Sam’s Liquor beer cave all the way to lounging in the kiddie pools they’ll have set up at Art Queen. 

“The hard part was in my years of doing it––it’s like herding cats. We’re all getting our fishnets on and our eyelashes, our costumes together and we have costume blowouts along the way. It’s a bit of an endurance test so most people don’t want to walk through the desert. But if people want to participate, I will say the best place is to meet us at Sam’s Liquor about 3:00 p.m.”

For those who’d rather meet up with the parade at their final destination on the grounds of Art Queen, Sheppard suggests arriving between 4:00-5:00 p.m. this Saturday.