It's been ten years since the first No Pants Subway Ride took place in New York City. Sponsored by Improv Everywhere, the event has become an annual occurrence (and, many residents say, annoyance), both in the Big Apple and cities across the country.
Miami, a city without a subway, has been left out of the annual holiday for the past decade. But no longer. Organizers are now promoting the first No Pants Subway Ride in Miami, to take place not on underground but raised above the ground on the Metrorail.
...hooray?
Miami's No Pants Subway Ride will coincide with the original event in NYC this Sunday, Jan. 12, as well as events in 60 other cities worldwide. Boxer- or brief-clad riders will take the tube (or their city's version of it) in U.S. cities from Washington, D.C., to Detroit, to Seattle, as well as international pants-free hubs including Copenhagen, Prague, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Johannesburg.
If you're jumping aboard the No Pants train this weekend, you'll have extra reason to be glad you're doing it in Miami; participants in other U.S. cities are likely to, well, freeze their bare asses off, with temperatures leftover from the polar vortex still hovering in the single digits in many areas.
But No Pants Day doesn't come without its problems. Pants enthusiasts in other cities have complained about the event, which some say crowds public transit for no reason. Some people just aren't comfortable squeezing into a crowded subway car next to some dude in a Speedo. (This is unlikely to be the case in Miami, where public transit is rarely crowded.)
Also, in the past, participants have been handcuffed for disorderly conduct. (Improv Everywhere now advises pantsless riders to comply with any orders to cover up issued by police or public transportation officials.) And with some cities attracting hundreds or even thousands of participants, there are bound to be some pervs in the bunch. There's never an excuse for sexual harrassment -- not even if the harrassee is wearing just a thong -- but that doesn't mean a Metrorail car full of half-covered people won't bring out the worst in someone. Or many someones. This is Miami, after all.
But hey, if pants-free is your preference, then pack your pepper spray and step aboard. The ride starts at 2 p.m. this Sunday, Jan. 12, at the Government Center Metrorail Station. Visit the Facebook event page for updates.
Follow Ciara LaVelle on Twitter @ciaralavelle.
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