August 26, 2022
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
The Philly Naked Bike Ride returns on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 5 p.m. The 12.3 mile trek will start at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park and will end at the Fillmore.
Philadelphians should be prepared to see a throng of cyclists making their way through the city wearing nothing more than body paint, helmets and maybe some undergarments this weekend.
The 12th annual Philly Naked Bike Ride will return on Saturday at 5 p.m., which is when drivers should expect some traffic to begin. The route will be 12.3 miles long this year and will start at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park.
Participants can begin gathering at the starting location at 2 p.m. to help each other put on body paint.
When the ride starts, it will take cyclists down 19th street and Broad Street, then up Passyunk Avenue, Ninth Street, Seventh Street, 13th Street and Third Street. The course will end at the Fillmore.
The venue is also hosting the official afterparty, which begins at 7 p.m. The event – which is clothing optional – features food, drinks and live music from DJ Merloh and DJ Ahzi. Tickets are still available online for $15, or $20 at the door.
The ride began in 2009 as a way to promote body positivity, cycling as a form of transportation and fuel reduction. That’s why organizers use the “#lessgasmoreass” hashtag.
They’ve created a strict code of conduct meant to keep all participants safe. Sexual harassment of any sort is not tolerated and photographers must get the explicit consent of anyone they take a picture of.
Although the event had to be canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it returned last year with a mandatory mask policy.
The route began at the Glendinning Rock Garden, wound through Fairmount Park and Center City and ended at Matthias Baldwin Park.
