For what it’s worth, Anne, people ride the T without pants all the time; but one day a year, Boston chooses to wholeheartedly embrace the no pants lifestyle. In short: it’s a good way to prepare for the (potential) 2024 Summer Olympics.

Yes, today, Sunday, January 11, marked the 8th annual No Pants Subway Ride through Boston.

Members of Improv Everywhere first decided to pull down their pants in 2002, in New York City. The inaugural NPSR – a prank – eventually caught on in other cities, and, by 2008, not wearing your pants on the subway was cool in Boston.

“This is supposed to be funny, not offensive. So let’s have good clean fun,” James Cobalt, the event’s organizer said in an instructional video, first reported by Boston.

The NPSR is held annually, across the world, in 50 cities. On Sunday, pantsless riders met at 2 p.m. at Pemberton Square, near Government Center, where they were assigned a train line, car and stop to, as Boston puts it, “begin their adventure.” Boston NPSR participants were invited to partake in a “Sans-Pants” post-pantsless T ride party – an after-party.

The No Pants ride is a polarizing event – one of those things that, if you’re not doing it yourself, you can’t even.

But those who don’t mind possibly offending less-adventurous riders (or maybe sitting in some public transit pee) seem to really enjoy it.

It’s also an excuse for Oreo and Dockers to launch some creative marketing tactics.

And, as mentioned before, this is an international event.

With its own clothing line.

And something Gary Busey* likes to do, when he’s in London.


*Probably not Gary Busey.

Featured photo via @OnlyInBOS.

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