nopantsaz Archives - Page 3 of 6

January 13, 2014 by Jeff Moriarty Leave a Comment

Who needs pants? We definitely don’t!

On a gorgeous and warm Sunday, January 12, 2014 over 500 people rode the Phoenix area light rail for the 6th Annual No Pants Light Rail Ride. We started at light rail stops all over the valley with a shared destination of Central Avenue and Roosevelt Street. From there, the group walked to Angel’s Trumpet Ale House to have a beverage, share stories from their respective legs of the ride, and take photos.

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nooccar/11923680546/lightbox/ — Courtesy Devon Christopher Adams

The West Side ride started with a hiccup when a light rail security guard tried to tell the photographers in the group that they could not take pictures on the light rail. Thankfully we had a few legal eagles in our group who were able to explain the law to him that photography is permitted as long as it does not disrupt the light rail itself, which was confirmed by his supervisor.

Our group filled multiple trains. Some panted passengers joyfully joined in our fun. Others looked at our bare legs with shock and confusion. One couple boarded the light rail at the airport stop and was so engrossed in their conversation and their phones that it took them two stops to realize that the majority of people around them were in their underwear. On another train, a family was traveling with small children. When the father saw the pantless group board the train, he sternly told his kids to close their eyes. At one of the platforms, a German tourist requested pictures with several pantless riders and asked if public pantlessness was normal given Arizona’s conservative reputation.

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nooccar/11923976956/sizes/c/in/photostream/ — Courtesy Devon Christopher Adams

Of course the media showed up. The cool ones took their pants off and joined in the fun. Some of our organizers tried to shame the photographers from the Arizona Republic into taking their pants, but to no avail. One of our organizers and one of our photographers were interviewed by Fox 10 prior to the ride and made it on the local news.

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nooccar/11924123266/sizes/z/in/photostream/ — Courtesy Devon Christopher Adams

This event was started by Improv Everywhere in New York in 2002 and it has since become a global phenomenon. People in 60 cities and 25 countries participated in this year’s event, including Phoenix. You can see some of the photos from the No Pants Rides in other cities on Mashable.

Thank you to everyone who came out and joined us for this year’s No Pants Light Rail Ride, and thank you to Angel’s Trumpet Ale House for hosting us. Please share your photos on the event page. Our photographers have started posting their photos from the event on Flickr and will continue to add more as they process all their footage.

December 4, 2013 by Jeff Moriarty Leave a Comment

Save the Date: No Pants Light Rail Ride 2014

Last year 350 people took to the Light Rail in Phoenix and took off their pants – and we’re doing it again!

The 6th Annual No Pants Light Rail Ride is coming up on Sunday, January 12th at 1pm. This is part of the Global No Pants Subway Ride started by Improv Everywhere in 2002. What started as 7 people doing a prank on the New York subway has expanded into an international event involving tens of thousands of people in dozens of cities all over the world.

The rules of the event are pretty simple – show up at the designated place and time with your light rail pass, take off your pants, get on the light rail, and act like nothing strange is going on. You have no idea why other people around you aren’t wearing pants. If you have trouble keeping a straight face, you may want to bring your earbuds and listen to your music.

Warm or cold, rain or shine we’re doing this. As the date gets closer, we’ll bring you in the loop about where the starting points will be and where the group is meeting up. We had an awesome time last year riding the rail sans pants and meeting up at Angel’s Trumpet Ale House. Check out the photos and video from last year’s event to see for yourself.

If you haven’t done so yet, please RSVP on our Facebook event – we’ll update it with the details of the 2014 No Pants Ride once we have them ironed out.

January 4, 2013 by Jeff Moriarty Leave a Comment

Break out your fanciest underpants – 2013 No Pants Light Rail Ride is coming!

The 5th Annual No Pants Light Rail Ride is coming up on Sunday, January 13th. This event is part of the International No Pants Subway Ride started by Improv Everywhere. On this day, tens of thousands of people will be riding their public transportation without their pants. We expected hundreds of people to participate in the Phoenix ride. It’s going to be a ton of fun – we hope you can join us.

The Basics Rules

There are only 2 main requirements for participating in this flash mob:

1) Be willing ride the light rail without your pants.

2) Be able to keep a straight face about it.

Now for some details…

When: Sunday, January 13 at 1:00 PM, Sharp! (Over around 4 PM)
Where: Three starting points along the Light Rail – details below.
Bring: A backpack/bag and a Light Rail pass.
Wear: Normal winter clothes (jacket, hat, etc)
Facebook: You can RSVP to the Facebook Event
Mid-ride party: Angels Trumpet Ale House

How It Works

You can wear almost any type of underwear you want – except thongs or g-strings. If you’re going to wear boxers we encourage you to wear briefs underneath them in case your fly separates.

Take your pants off on the light rail platform or before you get there. If you’re worried you will be cold on the platform, you can take off your pants on the train, just be aware that’s a little bit trickier and more crowded.

If you are wearing your pants to the event, bring a bag or purse to carry them once you de-pants.

Starting Locations

We will be starting at 3 locations this year. Notice that 2 of the groups will be changing trains before arriving at our final destination. If you want to really surprise the greatest number of people, start at one of those stations.

1) East Side Group: Will be starting at the Sycamore/Main station in Mesa and riding to the Roosevelt/Central station. This group does not switch trains. Google Map

2) Middle Group: Will be starting at the 38th St/Washington station and riding west to Thomas/Central station where they will get off and catch the eastbound train back to the Roosevelt/Central station. Google Map

3) West Side Group: Will be starting at the 19th Ave/Montebello station and riding east to 3rd St/Jefferson station where they will get off and walk a block to the 3rd St/Washington station and catch the westbound train to the Roosevelt/Central station. Google Map

Each group will board the first train that leaves their station at or after 1:00pm. We will have captains for each group (identified by a red scarf tied to themselves or their bag) that will help direct you.

Plan to arrive early to purchase a light rail pass ($3.50 for round trip) and get last-minute instructions from your group captains. There are park and rides at each starting station.

During the Ride

While you’re riding, act as if nothing strange is going on. Do what you’d normally do on the light rail – listen to your iPod, read a book, etc. You have no idea why others are not wearing pants. If anyone asks, have a simple excuse prepared for why you’re not wearing pants – you were hot, you forgot them, etc. Do NOT tell people you are doing a prank!

We will have photographers on hand to take pictures documenting the event. We need everyone else to just act casually. If you bring a camera, be very discrete and only take a few pictures. It’s supposed to look like a normal train ride.

Don’t disrupt the Light Rail! While the Phoenix Police Department said that wearing your underwear in public isn’t illegal, don’t do anything dumb. You are responsible for all your actions during this event.

Our Final Destination

No Pants 2012 Crew, by Devon Christopher Adams on Flickr

Once we arrive at the Roosevelt/Central station, we will be walk a few blocks to Angels Trumpet Ale House on 2nd St. All ages are welcome here. We’ll hang out, exchange stories, have a beverage, and take pictures before heading back from whence we came. We expect to be done at Angel’s Trumpet around 3:30pm.

If you don’t want to stop at Angels Trumpet Ale House you can just take the train back when everyone else gets off, and you’re welcome to leave earlier if you need to.

Please RSVP

We look forward to seeing you on January 13th! Please RSVP on our Facebook event page so we know how many people to expect. Feel free to share this event so all your friends can join us too! If you have any question, post them on the event page wall.

This is a fun event and we hope you can join us. The video from the 2012 No Pants Light Rail Ride is on YouTube and there are over 400 pictures on Flickr from last year’s event.

Bonus: Help needed with video!

We could use help from people who have video cameras and know how to use them. Extra points if you do video editing. If you would like to get involved, and can help us make some great video documentation of this (or any) flash mob, drop us an email!

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