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SALT LAKE CITY — Since Kristie Barnhurst was young, she has had a passion for mermaids. When her husband bought her her first mermaid tail less than a year ago, her passion shortly became her business.
Barnhurst, known as “Celestia Pearl” by her fellow merfolk, is the owner of Court of Mermaids, a mermaid “pod” or group in Utah that performs for events and strives to “be the magic” they wish to see in the world.
The pod, which opened around January 2016, is a spinoff of Barhurst’s performing fairy group she also owns. The pod performs at festivals, cultural events, private events and charity events.
With 10 members total, two mermen and eight mermaids, the group keeps busy with events.
“We’ve been extremely successful,” Barnhurst said. “We’ve been blessed with that.”
Court of Mermaids performs at private events, such as birthday parties, where children can meet and talk with mermaids. The group even has a mermaid inspired by “Ariel” from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”
“When I was growing up, just like anyone from my generation, I was obsessed with ‘The Little Mermaid,’” Barnhurst said. “It’s every girl’s dream.”
Barnhurst said she thinks that the family-friendly nature of their pod is what attracts the people of Utah to invite them to their events.
“That’s really what we try to put forward,” Barnhurst said of being kind, welcoming and family-friendly.
Barnhurst said that one of the main goals of the company is to support charities in Utah, and that they are available to perform for charities, fundraisers or anything that will help the community.
“Anything we can do to add to the magic in Utah, we are open and welcome to those requests,” she said.
Court of Mermaids performs dry and wet events. Dry events consist of sitting in a mermaid shell throne and conducting a meet and greet, similarly to meet and greets with characters at Disneyland and taking photos. Wet events are performances in the water that involve the pod members wearing their tails and performing different swims and tricks.
Barnhurst said the pod is currently working on a synchronized swim they will perform next month.
Previous performance venues include the Utah Renaissance Faire, C.A.S.T. for Kids at Strawberry Reservoir, Adventure Valley Renaissance Faire, which supported Utah Foster Care, and the pod plans to perform at the All Things Kids Expo supporting the Children’s Service Society of Utah.
She said her hope for the company is that when people want to hire mermaids for their event, they will think of Court of Mermaids first.
“It’s honestly one of the most favored things I’ve done in my life,” Barnhurst said. “I love it and I hope to continue doing it for a very long time.”
Court of Mermaids can be contacted for booking at hello@courtofmermaids.com.
