
UPDATE: New York Details / Details for Other Cities
The 8th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride will take place on Saturday, January 10 in New York City. More info with the meeting point and start time will be posted to this site in early January. For now, save the date. Like last year, we’re encouraging folks in other cities around the world to stage their own No Pants rides on the same day.
If you would like to commit to organizing a ride in your city, first check to see if your city has an active group on the Urban Prankster Network already organizing a ride. Anyone organizing a No Pants event should let us know by leaving a comment on this post. In a few weeks we will publish a list of all participating cities along with links to details, Facebook events, etc.
Below is a short history of the No Pants! Subway Ride from its inception in 2002 to today.
The first ride included 7 participants, all male. One participant entered the train pantless for 7 consecutive stops. They pretended not to notice each other, and if asked claimed that they “just forgot” their pants. On the 8th stop, someone came through with a duffle bag selling pants for $1. No photographs were taken, but the above video was captured with our single a hidden camera.
The second No Pants had around 30 participants, including a few women. A few people played characters for the first time– businessmen, tourists, etc. The conductor noticed what was going on and shouted over the PA, “This train is not a playground.” The video has never been put online. Maybe one day.
The third No Pants was filmed by ABC News 20/20 for a segment they were doing on Improv Everywhere which never aired. We foolishly didn’t film it with our own cameras, so there’s no video. Bill Ritter, a 20/20 correspondent, rode the train with us but elected to keep his pants on. About 40 people participated.
The fourth No Pants was filmed by This American Life for their Showtime television show. The segment on Improv Everywhere aired as part of their pilot episode, but almost all of the No Pants footage was cut from the piece. Once again we foolishly didn’t film it ourselves. Around 50 people participated.
The fifth annual No Pants ride was abruptly halted by a cop. All passengers, including those not participating, were forced to exit the train as it was taken out of service. 8 people were handcuffed in their underwear and taken into custody. A month later a judge dismissed all of the charges. It is not illegal to wear your underwear in public in New York City. Just ask the Naked Cowboy. The incident was reported by news agencies around the world. David Letterman made two monologue jokes about it and staged a No Pants Cab Ride as a parody. Keith Olbermann interviewed Agent Todd about the legality of No Pants. Around 150 people participated in the ride.
In sharp contrast to the year before, the sixth annual No Pants went off without a hitch. 300 people participated on what was a particularly mild January day. Three police officers showed up at our meeting point, but they informed us they were only there to make sure everyone had a good time. We dropped the “pants seller” bit this year after too many people lost their pants in 2006. Instead, participants hid their pants in a backpack. People of all colors, shapes, sizes, and ages came out this year.
The seventh annual No Pants ride had 900 participants in New York, and another 1,000 or so in 9 additional cities around the world. In New York we had to use three separate train lines to accommodate the crowd. For the first time there were at least as many women as men. Rides took place in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Washington DC, and even Adelaide, Australia.
No Pants 2009 will take place on January 10, 2009 in New York and an unknown number of cities around the world.
did nobody wear some olden style bloomers for underwear?
i’ve been waiting for you guys to post a date for no pants day this year. i’m looking forward to another fun, successful no pants day this year =]
Our Lisbon group, ImprovLisboa, wants to take part in the No Pants! day.
We haven’t mentioned it yet on our page on the Urban Prankster Network, but we will soon.
So we’re eager for news, and maybe some guidelines you can give us so everything runs smoothly.
Cheers!
Agent Somos
@Francisco,
There are no real guidelines. Just read our mission reports on all the past No Pants to see how we’ve organized it over the years. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask them here. It would be great to have a Portuguese ride this year!
Vienna is in!
http://improveverywhere.ning.com/group/improvvienna
Charlie,
Yeah, I’ve been reading the earlier ones, which have more info. I will, thanks. And we will most certainly have a Portuguese ride!
The Toronto group will definitly be doing the No Pants Subway ride!
Phoenix, Arizona is launching their light rail system at the end of the year, so this is perfect! Anyone who wants to get involved in Phoenix, check in here: http://improveverywhere.ning.com/group/phoenixarizona/forum/topics/no-pants-day-in-phoenix
Boston, naturally is in
http://www.BostonSOS.org
I’ll send out an email blast to our members on Christmas-Eve
Also put on Facebook in addition to BostonSOS.org: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39359221735#/event.php?eid=53848003176&ref=nf
Adelaide, Australia is in once again. The Facebook event is here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=50241508967 details will also be going up on our website sometime soon: http://www.adelaideflashmob.com
Cheers
Nick
Plan B is in!!!
We can’t wait for this one!!!
-Scott Nelson
Plan B Minnesota
Phoenix is definitely in! I’m teaming with Jeff Moriarty to line up promotion, participation, and documentation. :)
Jeff’s link above didn’t work, but there are two places you can go for information on the Phoenix event.
1) http://improveverywhere.ning.com/group/phoenixarizona/forum/topics/no-pants-day-2009-in-phoenix
2) http://mercilessflirt.com/post/65411433/cmon-n-ride-it-no-pants-on-the-phoenix-light-rail
2009 and beyond!! great job guys and girls. now lets see 2009 top 2008’s video.
Washington D.C. Representing.
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=16900981&ref=name#/event.php?eid=40893153035&ref=mf
Urban Prankster:
http://improveverywhere.ning.com/group/dcdefenestrators/forum/topics/international-nopants-subway
Hope to see everyone there!
(Where’d my comment go?)
The Netherlands is in! Shoqs will be participating in No Pants! 2k9. Dutch “Shoqers” please register here: http://www.shoqs.nl/doe-mee/
Details will be emailed to all enlisted Shoqers.
~AltijdAndries
Shoqs – http://www.shoqs.nl
can’t wait for no pants day!!!! :P i just wanna know where is the after party?? lol! :P buena vibra para todos.. ciao
-CARITO
LA is in! Everyone interested, please help us plan it.
Check out our post at http://improveverywhere.ning.com/group/losangeles.
Is there anything for SF?
Hi..
I might go.. is it ok if i wear short shorts?
– Sarah
Chicago is in
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=53058782714&ref=mf
didn’t leave me enough time to lose weight for no pants
Denver is doin’ it.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=44958946851&ref=ts
Urban Prankster: http://improveverywhere.ning.com/group/denveretc/forum/topics/no-pants-2k9-january-10th
by pants you mean trousers right? it’s not naked from the waist down completely is it??? (this is where UK english and US english differ!)
thanks
x
What’s the news on No Pants San Francisco? My town’s GOTTA have a group participating, ever since I saw that picture of the girl on a fixed gear pantless on BART
Vancouver is in!
I’ll see if I can get enough people together to do it…
gotta pull out my fancy panties!! XD
hi..
my mom wants to come but is refusing to take off her pants.. is it ok if she just tags along, and doesn’t take off her pants. She says she wants to “Witness history in the making”
– Sarah
@Sarah,
We prefer that people come to participate and not watch, but certainly can’t enforce that. Tell your mom to wear 3 pairs of boxers and join us!
Anyone organising a “no pants” in Hong Kong yet? If not I’m keen to do so!
SF blog on Facebook created, join and invite. We don’t have long guys.
thanks,
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=41689368279&ref=mf
V~
Charlie –
Thanks! I’ll try to get her to do that. =]
– Sarah
Can’t wait to show some panties!!! : )
Portland is in!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=47389307119
can’t wait…going to wear some nice SPANX! I hope NYC is not too cold that day!
Saw some pants-less riders in Hollywood, CA…..But I just assumed it was a typical day.
I wanted to do wedgie to a guy for a long time. Today I missed it. I think I am going to wait for one more year.
It is worth the wait.
come in France dudes !
we just have those old-fashion “flashmob” here…
come on guys, or teach me how to do that !
Hi, I can’t understand how to add your site in my rss reader. Can you Help me, please :)
This is awesome! I will def. be in for next years ride, no matter where I am!
I really liked the way they came off
Reading about weight loss tips is always fun. Thanks for the entertainment. Do you mind if I ask for your email address?
any chance improveverywhere is gonna do a prank in vancouver canada?!?!