This weekend marks the annual ‘No Trousers Tube Ride’ day, which is something that would probably give a nun a heart attack. We take a closer look at the London ‘sausage fest’ (some may say)
In one of the more bizarre dates in the British calendar, this weekend will mark the day where Londoners opt to go nearly starkers on public transport – but why?
For those sleep deprived and overworked, forgetting your trousers before you run out of the door for the 9-5 slog is one of the biggest nightmares.
However, this bunch of randy train passengers are confidently facing a commuter fear by purposely leaving their bottoms at home to bare their flesh.
So let’s take a look at what on earth ‘No Trousers Tube Ride’ is, why it all started and how you can ‘celebrate’ the cheek exposing holiday this weekend. And, importantly, what do the public think.
What is No Trousers Tube Ride?
The aptly named No Trousers Tube Ride is an annual event in London where people, you guessed it, ride the tube without any pants on (as the Americans would say).
It literally does what it says on the tin. In a weird way to kickstart the year, those willing to risk the nip of January will ceremoniously take their trousers off in unison to ride the London Underground.
The event is something perhaps people can get involved with if hitting the gym and chucking out the chocolate biscuits are not on their roster for this month.
Last year saw huge numbers of attendees, with hundreds more expected to descend on the capital in the hopes to participate in the odd trend.
That means you shouldn’t bat an eyelid if you see anyone flashing their y-fronts or thong decorated backside in London this weekend. But, we feel for the tourists who will be getting an unexpected eyeful. Or perhaps they’ve specifically travelled to the Big Smoke for some trouser ditching activities.
If you’re worried about seeing masses of trouserless people wading through London, then fear not, as participants only strip down when they reach the depths of the tube station.
Though, if you’re a keen tuber and don’t want to see bulges everywhere…you can always take the bus.
What are the origins of No Trousers Tube Ride?
We bet you’re thinking ‘how on earth did this become a thing’. Our thought process was pretty much the same – ‘what is the whole point of it all’.
Who in their right mind really wants to sit knicker bottomed on the chaffing tube seats? Well, a lot of people do. And you’d be wrong thinking that it had anything to do with raising money for charity or making some sort of political statement about fast-fashion, women’s rights or humans being imprisoned by wearable cloth.
Apparently, there is no real rhyme or reason to the No Trousers Tube Ride day. At a stretch, it could be seen as a societal experiment – or prank – about how humans react to the trouserless and how the trouserless feel about baring their bottoms en masse.
The Stiff Upper Lip Society, who organise the event, said that the aim of of No Trousers Tube ride was to simply “make people laugh” and have “fun.”
It really is just a bit of nonsensical fun – if that’s your kind of thing. However, London wasn’t the first city to catch wind of riding public transport while not fully dressed.
The whole idea of leaving your trousers at home was first started in New York back in 2002, named the ‘No Pants Subway Ride’ – which would have a very different outcome if it was called the same in the UK. It started off with only seven attendees and is now predicted to be in its thousands.
Londoners decided to jump on the ‘pantless’ bandwagon in 2009,which has seen the participant rate grow year on year. Other cities known to participate are Berlin, Lisbon, Toronto and Tokyo.
How to get involved?
So if you’re wanting to ‘forget’ your trousers this weekend while in London, then we’d advise to only do that on Sunday. Otherwise you could end up in the slammer.
The specific date for No Trousers Tube Ride is Sunday January 12 and people will be meeting at the Old Pagoda, China Town. This is so event organisers can have some sort of order over those who partake instead of it just being a pantless free for all across the city.
If you want to join then you have to be there for 2:45pm to start dead on 3pm to take the pilgrimage to a selected tube station that will be transformed into a cheeky affair.
And if you’re being hammered by the cost-of-living crisis and want something free to do this weekend – bar the tube fare – then this could be it.
What is the public reaction?
You might have your own thoughts on this, which you can freely leave in the comment section on this story. But, what do the wider general public feel about this?
Well, it’s safe to say it’s a mixed bag of reaction. We’ve taken a look at the social media reaction from previous years where some have branded it an act of “degeneracy”, others think it’s “so cool.”
And there’s been a general outcry for people to “put their pants back on.” Along with a sick emoji, one social media user wrote: “All those bums and thighs BARE on the seats.”
Another blasted: “I don’t understand the appeal in the first place, but why does this have to take place in the coldest time of the year? Very odd.”
While someone else commented: “I remember this 20 years ago on the NYC subway. It was just a bunch of hipsters.
“But definitely has not aged well.” Another simply called it a “sausage fest.”
Despite online being mostly filled with outrage and disgust, one defended the “free fun” and said: “Good bit of free fun miserable gits can stay at home.”
What are your thoughts on the impending London ‘sausage fest’? Let us know in the comments below…