Drawing on the eye-catching success of last year's "Black Tie Beach" at Coney Island, hundreds of jokers donned formal wear this weekend and took off for the shoreline (this year they were at the Rockaways), where they spent a day splashing water and turning heads. When asked by lifeguards and curious onlookers why they were dressed up, they nonchalantly answered that they "just liked dressing up for the beach."
Each group of ballroom-ready beachgoers also denied knowing anyone else at the beach...which was slightly true. Most came together without ever meeting one another. The group, founded by local improvisors, makes top-secret "agents" out of New York actors, humorists, and couch-potatoes. Armed with nothing but their wit and a high threshold for embarrassment, the agents create impromptu scenes (the founders hate the phrase "flash mobs") throughout the year.
This year, Improv Everywhere infiltrated 6 cities on the same day, spawning black tie beach parties in California, Indiana, and Rhode Island, along with Sweden and Australia. More photos below!
Brad Mielke is a writer, editor, and aspiring bandit. His work has appeared in the New York Daily News, amNewYork, and ABC News. When not busy teaching himself to glide effortlessly past security guards at New York venues, he enjoys discovering new comedy acts and soccer bars.
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