Commuters in cities around the globe on Sunday, took part in the annual ‘No Pants on the Subway’ as passengers were undressed to impress in London, Berlin, Stockholm and many other cities.
And despite the threat of snow and bleak midwinter temperatures many hardy thrill seekers braved bracing conditions and took to the London Underground today to take part in the No Trousers Tube Ride 2013.
It was all part of the No Pants Subway Ride’s 13th annual celebration of riding the world’s underground without trousers, with commuters in London joining their counterparts from dozens of cities around the globe to venture out minus their breeches.
The No Pants event went global in 2008 with Adelaide in Australia joining eight American cities in taking part in the stunt.
Last year’s event saw tens of thousands of people daring to bare their underwear in 59 cities in 27 countries around the world.
In London alone more than 150 took part.
The hilarious craze started back in 2002 when a handful of New York pranksters decided to cause a stir on a Subway train.
One participant entered the train in just his underwear for seven consecutive stops and, if asked, were instructed to tell people that they ‘just forgot’ their trousers.
On the 8th stop, a final participant would enter the carriage selling trousers out of a duffle bag – much to the bemusement of other passengers.
The annual event steadily grew each year with more and more people choosing to take part.
But it nearly hit the buffers in 2006 when the stunt was halted by a New York policeman. Eight passengers were handcuffed in their underwear and taken into police custody.
A judge later threw out the case because it is not illegal to
wear just your underwear on the Subway.
The No Pants Subway Ride is
an annual event staged by Improv Everywhere every January in New York City.
The mission started as a
small prank with seven guys and has grown into an international celebration of
silliness, with dozens of cities around the world participating each year.
The idea behind No Pants is
simple: Random passengers aboard a subway car at separate stops in the middle
of winter without pants.
The participants do not
behave as if they know each other, and they all wear winter coats, hats,
scarves, and gloves.
The only unusual thing is
their lack of pants.
