Last year’s No Pants Subway Ride
UPDATE: Just added Flushing Meadows Park as a 6th location!
All are invited to participate in the 9th Annual No Pants Subway Ride. The event will take place at 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 10. Everything you need to know is in this post. Please read it carefully!
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION:
1) Willing to take pants off on subway
2) Able to keep a straight face about it
**THIS IS A PARTICIPATORY EVENT. DO NOT SHOW UP UNLESS YOU PLAN TO TAKE YOUR PANTS OFF.**
DETAILS
When: Sunday, January 10 at 3:00 PM, Sharp! (Over by around 5:30)
Where: Six meeting points spread out all over New York City. Details below.
Bring: A backpack and a metro card.
Wear: Normal winter clothes (hat, gloves, etc)
Facebook: You can RSVP to the Facebook Event
Complete logistics below:
HOW IT WORKS
There are six meeting points this year. Take your pick.
Astoria: Meet at Hoyt Playground – Google Map
Downtown Brooklyn: Meet at Prospect Park – Google Map
Downtown Manhattan: Meet at Foley Square – Google Map
Queens: Meet at the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Park – Google Map
Uptown Manhattan: Meet at the Great Hill in Central Park – Google Map
Williamsburg / Bushwick: Meet at Bushwick Park (AKA Maria Hernandez Park) – Google Map
Everyone should meet at their chosen meeting point at 3 PM. Please be on time. Feel free to be early.
At the meeting points, participants will be organized into groups and assigned a specific train car. Once everyone is divided up we will all head to nearby subway station[s]. Do not talk to others once you enter the subway system. No one knows each other.
Sit in the car as you normally would. Read a magazine or whatever you would normally do. Your team leader will have already divided you into smaller groups, assigning your group a specific stop where you will depants.
As soon as the doors shut at the stop before yours, stand up and take your pants off and put them in your backpack. If you’d like to use a briefcase, purse, grocery bag, or whatever instead of a backpack that’s fine too. If anyone asks you why you’ve removed your pants, tell them that they were “getting uncomfortable” (or something along those lines.)
Exit the train at your assigned stop and stand on the platform, pantless. You will wait on the platform for the next train to arrive. Stay in the exact same place on the platform so you enter the next train in the same car as you exited the last train.
When you enter, act as you normally would. You do not know any of the other pantless riders. If questioned, tell folks that you “forgot to wear pants” and yes you are “a little cold.” Insist that it is a coincidence that others also forgot their pants. Be nice and friendly and normal.
All train routes will converge on Union Square. Your exact route will be explained at the meeting point, and may involve a transfer.
You can wear fun underwear if you like, but nothing that screams out, “I wore this because I’m doing a silly stunt.” Wear two pairs of underwear if it makes you feel more comfortable. Don’t wear a thong or anything else that might offend people. Our aim is to make people laugh, not piss them off.
If you haven’t already, please take a moment to read about previous No Pants! Subway Rides.
Please leave your cameras at home and resist the temptation to snap photos with your iPhone, etc. while the event is happening. Take as many as you like before and after the event, but during the ride we really want people to enjoy the experience of participating rather than documenting. It detracts from the mission if everyone is taking photos of each other rather than keeping a straight face. Don’t worry, we have photographers assigned to every meeting point who will take great photos.
This is always a blast, and we look forward to seeing you there. You may bring along friends if you like, but make sure they get a chance to read all of these instructions.
See you on the 10th!
(Information for participating in other cities is here.)
Be aware that by participating, you recognize that Improv Everywhere is not liable in the event you are injured, arrested, or worse. By choosing to participate you are still responsible for your actions.
LMAO CANT WAIT……
Forgot your pants?
It seem a bit breezy?
Stop at our Panting Station
And make your life easy!
ProPants.
That’s pretty good!
QUESTION!
It says “Williamsburg/Bushwick” but the map has Bushwick Park in Bushwick. HOWEVER there’s a “Bushwick INLET Park” in Williamsburg. The big one just a few blocks from Bedford by the river, that just started up.
Just asking because when I lived in Bushwick, that park was highlighted in your link was named something other than Bushwick Park (It was named Maria [something] Park). The only Bushwick Park I know is “Bushwick INLET Park” which is in the Burg.
Can someone double-check and make sure this is the park you guys want, please???
Thank you!!
The park we are talking about is the one on the Google Map near the Dekalb stop.
the park’s actual name is maria hernandez park. it used to be bushwick park, they renamed it and google hasn’t caught up.
Thanks. I’ll note that.
I want to go to this event. Anyone want to go with me, please email me. We can meet or talk on the phone first to get to know one another.
Jeff
estrella.jeffrey@gmail.com
Uh, creepy?
Why don’t you just go down there by yourself and make some friends, dude.
Charlie, This is Austin’s dad. I love this killer idea of yours and seeing these “missions” (especially ‘I Love Lunch’ and the ‘Supermarket Musical’- Queens) makes me miss living in NYC even more than I already do. I am envious, and were I still there, this 60 y/o would join you. Thanks for making the world a better and more jovial place! Best Huel Adams (Charleston)
Thanks for saying hi Huel!
Hey, does any1 know if we’re allowed to go with our friends in groups, like 2 or 3 ppl or we have to stay singled during the whole time?
aAAAAaaaa This…IS….AMAZING….Prospect Park woot woot!
silly white people with no other worries in the world, must be nice. keep contributing to the ever growing embarrassment you’re turning our city into
Yeah totally man. Anyone who has 2 free hours to do something fun and silly on a Sunday afternoon has no other worries in the world.
And it’s totally fair to call thousands of New Yorkers from all different backgrounds “white.”
hahahaha!! I love it. You rock, Charlie.
I will join “downtown”(foley square) group sunday. please confirm.
Sounds like a blast!
Wish, I could be in Brooklyn to participate.
Enjoy the day everyone!
Ciao
I wish we had this event in Denmark
So make it happen!
Is 16 years old too young to participate?
and what if you don’t have a metro card.
If you don’t have a metro card you can’t ride the subway. There is no age limit, but if you are a minor you should have your parents permission and participate at your own risk.
ok thanks
and so would i just get a metro card before it starts?
You can pop into any subway station and buy a single-ride metrocard. It’ll cost you $2.25. Keep in mind, though, that you might need additional fare to get to the meet-up point and/or home from Union Square if those places aren’t in walking distance for you.
anyone going to the bushwick site? i dont want to be alone on my first time :(
I’m going to the Bushwick site. Hopefully with boyfriend in tow.
So there’s a possibility that I could get arrested? …. Let’s do it
I’m down for this one. I keep saying i’ll do the next mission i’ll do the next mission. http://www.facebook.com/#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1388700085 facebook me astoria group i’m down for no pants kareoke..
It’s really too bad this creative sort of guerilla organization and participation can’t be harnessed to spark civil disobedience. We’re walking around the city in underwear, irony-loving hipsters that we are, while our working-class peers are getting blown up in Afghanistan. There is rather a disconnect from reality with events like this.
Do you have the same opinion of people who will be watching the NFL Playoffs on Sunday? Are they disconnected from reality because they’re home watching football while others are dying in wars? Why single us out? A group of people getting together to do something fun and harmless in the public space for two hours on a Sunday afternoon isn’t any more or less aware of the problems in our world than anyone else.
Yeah, you’re right. We should just sit at home and be miserable all the time since “reality” is so depressing. I mean, why look for any joy in life when you can just focus on all the shit going on?
As a brother of a united states marine who served in Baghdad, Iraq for one year, I can assure you that this is not a “disconnect” from reality, This is a chance to embrace what really affects us and changes us for the better. Imagine a group of people with absolutely nothing in common save for the appreciation of appreciation, the enjoyment of enjoyment and the need and drive to do something just to do something. If you want to spark a change with civil disobedience there are plenty of organizations out there for you to join. A “guerilla organization” named “Improv everywhere” is not a good place to start.
This may be the start of something bigger…
Hey, can any of you new yorkers tell me how long you think your event will run?
I think it’s aprox 2-3 hours long. I’m sure there will be festivities going on after that, at various locations.
Can wait to take my pants off………oh yesssssssssss
are pantyhose/tights acceptable for the ride?
Regarding the questions about pantyhose and long-johns– wear what you feel comfortable in. The spirit of the event is regular old underwear, but considering the amount of people participating, it’s not going to matter if a few people choose to wear tights/long-johns.
i already see women wearing tights without pants (or skirts or shorts) in the subway everyday thinking that those are ‘pants’ psh… they just wanna show their cameltoe