Look Ma, No Pants!

About The Annual No Pants Subway Ride

“Offeth with thy pantaloons,” Shakespeare would say if he were around today for a New York City tradition.

The 18th Annual No Pants Subway Ride will take place this Sunday, January 13th. The title pretty much says it all. People jump on various trains around the city wearing just their knickers. In the middle of winter. Because, hey, if it were July, would it really be all that funny? Fellow passengers would just be jealous, if you ask us.

The cardinal rule is they must pretend not to know each other and keep a straight face!

This event was started by a comedy troupe called Improv Everywhere. Initially it was a small prank involving seven guys, but eventually grew to include thousands of folks who love running around in their skivvies.

Basically, random passengers board a subway car at several stops. All the participants don other winter attire like gloves, jackets, and hats…just not pants. The reactions of the passengers is often hilarious. I think that is the point. Here’s a video from their website.

Here are the meeting points for this Sunday, should you decide to participate or want to catch a glimpse of some guy’s tighty whiteys:

Astoria, Queens: Meet at Hoyt Playground
Brooklyn: Meet at the Old Stone House
Downtown Manhattan: Meet at Foley Square
Lower East Side: Meet at Sarah Roosevelt Park on Houston
Uptown Manhattan: Meet at the Great Hill in Central Park
Williamsburg/Bushwick: Meet at Maria Hernandez Park

Meeting time is 3 p.m. sharp.

Bring a metro card and a backpack to store your slacks in during your ride. (You doff them inside the subway car.) There will be a pants-wearing after party at Bar 13 for the brave–and crazy–souls who take the dare!

Image via jay herrero/Flickr