Photos show ecstatic kids marking the reopening of Coney Island's Luna Park, as New York prepares for a summer of joy

• Coney Island's Luna Park opened for the first time in 18 months.
• Kids and adults alike expressed joy, and relief, that the end of the pandemic appears in sight.
• "The silence was killing us," said one employee.

There was hand sanitizer to spare, and faces were mostly masked, but joy still rocketed between the rides and game booths of Coney Island's Luna Park, which opened this weekend for the first time in 18 months.

Under an overcast sky and scattered rain, there was a feeling of jubilation and rebirth. And the lights of the iconic Wonder Wheel sparkled again after being shut down for the first time in a century.

Monica Ghee, who at 71 has been working at the amusement park for 52 years, said she was "over the moon with excitement" to be back at work. "The silence was killing us," she said.

As more New Yorkers vaccinated against Covid-19, the city's restlessness after a year of lockdowns and social distancing is boiling over. But it was also a return to normal.

With just over two months to go before the city's June 22 Democratic primary, candidates for mayor showed up in force, taking selfies and offering Covid-safe elbow bumps to passerby on the Coney Island boardwalk, while current Mayor Bill de Blasio was seen riding in the front-row of the Cyclone.

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Twins Jackson and Emma, age 7, came from Albany, New York, to try their luck at the "Pyramid Smash" game.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider

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A family of three competes for a prize.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider

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Makahi Steed, an 18-year-old Brooklyn native, performs temperature checks at a side entrance of Luna Park.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider

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Krystal McComas and son Lincoln, 7, of Fort Bragg, NC, select a prize at the "Fried Frogs" game station.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider

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Monica Ghee, 71, has been working at the park for half a century, said it's been "very sad and very quiet" since the park shut down.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider

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A young girl waits for a ride to begin.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider

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Members of the Brooklyn United drum-line pictured in front of the iconic Cyclone roller coaster.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider

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Kids, oblivious to the rain clouds overhead, once again got to enjoy the rides.      Zakiyyah Woods

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An employee of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park sanitizes a ride in between visitors.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider

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"Maybe next year," a park employee tells a disappointed mom, whose daughter came in below the height requirement for a ride.      Zakiyyah Woods for insider

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Myah, an 8-year-old from Brooklyn, stands proudly with her family and her new Pikachu stuffed animal.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider

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A proud father photographs his daughter as she collects tickets to the Cyclone roller coaster.      Zakiyyah Woods for Insider