Philly Naked Bike Ride route to start at Lemon Hill
If cyclists' butts, drive you nuts, here's where you should avoid.
The Philly Naked Bike Ride is back on Saturday for its 2022 edition, and this year’s ride will have riders in various states of undress kicking off the festivities at Lemon Hill before heading out on a 12-ish-mile trek around the city.
The ride officially starts at 5 p.m. at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park, after a pre-ride body painting session from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The ride will then take participants along a course that includes stints down 19th Street, Broad Street, Passyunk Avenue, Ninth Street, Walnut Street, and Spring Garden Street, among others. Bathrooms will be available at Lloyd Hall Rec Center.
So, if cyclists’ butts drive you nuts, avoid the ride route area on Saturday afternoon.
It all wraps up at the Fillmore Philadelphia with an afterparty set to kick off at 7 p.m. Tickets for the afterparty are $15 in advance, and $20 at the door. The clothing-optional event includes drinks, and dancing, plus food from women-owned businesses including Juana Tamale, Angie’s Vietnamese, Monz Crabby Dips, Waffles Philly, and Vannah Banana.
A local tradition for more than a decade, the Philly Naked Bike Ride first came to the city in 2009, when its four-mile course saw about 400 riders. It was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 but returned last year for its first pandemic-era run (clothing was optional, masks were not). The ride now typically brings out several thousand riders and works to promote cycling advocacy, body positivity, and economic sustainability.
And if you’re wondering , no, you don’t have to ride naked. The event, organizers note online, is a “bare as you dare” event. But — and if you have to hear this, don’t go — you do need to abide by the event’s code of conduct, which includes strict policies against sexual and physical harassment. Behavior including unwanted comments about a person’s body or sexuality, photography without consent, and sexual gestures will not be tolerated.
“One of the goals of the Philly Naked Bike Ride is to desexualize nudity and to encourage everyone to embrace nudity as a normal, enjoyable way of life,” the code of conduct reads. “Following this policy will help further this goal and teach all of us how to be better people in general.”
Not ready to bike in the buff, but support the message? Merch including T-shirts, reusable water bottles (it is a Leave No Trace event, after all), and rally towels is available online.