If you’re going to be in one of nearly 20 big cities around the world next weekend, heads up that you might be exposed to something you may consider to be a little on the unusual side, especially in the dead of winter: people riding the subway without any pants on.
Yup.
Here’s more about it…
The No Pants Subway Ride is an annual event, staged by Improv Everywhere every January in New York City. The date changes from year to year and is announced in early December – this year it’s Sunday, January 12th.
The mission started in NYC in 2002 as a small prank with seven guys and has grown into an international celebration of silliness. Since then, tens of thousands of people have participated over the years, in over 60 cities around the world.
So far for this year, the event will be held in:
- Berlin
- Boston
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Lisbon
- Los Angeles
- London (theirs is called the No Trousers On The Tube Ride. “No pants” in the U.K. would be a much more adult-oriented event)
- Melbourne
- Montreal
- Munich
- New York
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Prague
- San Francisco
- São Paulo
- Seattle
- Toronto
- Washington DC
But it’s possible that more cities will be added as the date gets closer.
Part performance art, part flash mob, The No Pants Subway Ride has gotten responses that have run the gamut from double-takes, to outright staring, to pretended not to stare, to patrons leaving the train, to riders being taken into custody (I’m looking at you, NYC 2006, Istanbul 2012 and Moscow 2016). Oh, and one woman in Washington D.C. cursed participants in 2014 for, “riding around in public, with their butt cheeks hanging out on the Lord’s Day, during flu season.”
If you happen to catch a view of any participants this year, making jokes about any breezes is absolutely fine. After all, they’re all flying by the seat of their pants (sorry not sorry).
For more info about the No Pants Subway Ride, check out Improv Everywhere’s website.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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