Strip Down For the 2014 No Pants Subway Ride

Sat 1/11 @ 1pm

No pants? In public? In Cleveland?  In January?  Wait…what? That’s right, it’s time once again for the annual No Pants Subway Ride.  Clevelanders will join tens of thousands of people in over 60 cities around the world for what has become an annual, international tradition that started as a secret prank and has become a public celebration of absurdity and silliness.

While the event’s origins can be traced back to NYC, Cleveland has been participating for a few years now.  It all started over a decade ago.  In January of 2002, 7 pantless men each boarded a NYC subway train at one of 7 stops.

They pretended to be strangers and acted completely normal — minus one obvious detail.  At the 8th stop, a man boarded the train carrying a duffle bag and selling pants for $1.  In the years since, the NYC ride continues to be popular, attracting thousands of diverse riders in recent years.

In Cleveland, the first ride attracted 8 participants (take that, New York).  Last year about 20 locals participated, but organizers are hoping for around 50 “particiPANTS” this year.

“I found out about the Ride while I was looking for things to do in Stockholm,” said the founder of improv events group NoPantsCLE (who requested to be referred to as Cleveland NoPantsSubwayRide). “A friend had just moved there for work, and I told her ‘you HAVE to do this!’ After clicking on a link to see if anyone was doing this here, I got an email congratulating me for volunteering to organize the ride for Cleveland!  I almost chickened out, but there’s no reason we shouldn’t have something this awesome to help us get through January in style–so we did it. That was a few years ago already, and it’s been great being part of something that people now either look forward to, or castigate as the work of Satan.

“Don’t jump to conclusions because you see the words ‘no pants”: it turns out to be quite the family-friendly event. Boxers, briefs, shorts, kilts–even the occasional pajamas for the truly apprehensive. Recognition is usually always given to the year’s oldest and youngest particaPANTS.

“We had people last year from Buffalo come specifically for our ride, and we’re looking to grow more, but it’s not really a spectator sport. People tend to want to come and watch, but it’s a participatory event, so come be a part of it on the 11th! Bring the kids–bring everyone you know!”

To participate, all you’ll need is an all-day RTA pass ($5).  The ride has historically taken place on the RTA Rapid’s Red Line, but you’ll have to contact the organizers at nopants2014@gmail.com (or through Facebook) to request the meeting places.  The ride runs from 1-4:10pm.  Afterwards, the fun continues with an opportunity to mingle with your new pantsless friends.

https://facebook.com/events

Cleveland, OH 44113

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