Come shake your tail: A guide to next month’s annual mermaid celebration in Sacramento

You might call this Sacramento’s version of the Splash Hit.

In what is billed as a “shellibration of everything mermaid,” the California Mermaid Convention is returning for the eighth year to Sacramento next month with a mix of virtual and in-person events. The convention will take place July 9-11, according to the event website.

The first day is full of entirely virtual events where guests can interact with tail makers, mermaid makeup artists and vendors. On the second day, guests will be able to join an in-person group swim at Rusch Park Pool in Citrus Heights.. Vaccination cards must be shown for guests ages 16 and older, according to the event organizers.

Also planned is a visit to downtown Sacramento’s Dive Bar, where mermaids and mermen perform choreographed swims in a 40-foot tank above a bar.

On the final day, guests can join a march through the Old Sacramento Waterfront, a nearly-decade-old tradition. The closing events include a clean-up where attendees will gather on Sacramento rivers to gather trash and tidy up beaches. Convention attendees can also enjoy a mermaid grotto swim party later that night with a photo shoot experience as well.

The convention is also benefiting the American River Parkway Foundation, an organization that supports the preservation of the parkway.

Tickets for the event are already on sale. Several of the events are free for everyone, but a few have limited tickets. Attendees are also asked to show a vaccination card at the swim party on the final day of the convention.