January 13, 2014 by Jeff Moriarty 1 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.

January 5, 2014 by Jeff Moriarty Leave a Comment

No Pants Light Rail Ride 2014 – All the info!

The 6th Annual No Pants Light Rail Ride is coming up on Sunday, January 12th. 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 Basic Info

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 12 at 1:00 PM (Over around 4 PM)
Where: Start at any Park & Ride location 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

What To Wear

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. You can get in trouble for indecent exposure if you reveal too much!

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.

How To Act

Do NOT tell people you are doing a prank! 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 iPhone, 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.

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.

Starting Locations

We’re changing things up this year, and rather than have everyone start at just two locations, you can start at any Park & Ride location you wish! Just go to one of the Light Rail stops listed below, and board the first train that arrives after the time listed. We’re all headed to the same place, so don’t worry if you get on a different train than other people. We’re trying to spread out the fun!

Make sure you arrive in time to get a Light Rail pass from one of the machines at the stations!

If this is your first year doing it and you want to be at a station with someone from ImprovAZ, go to the 19th Ave & Montebello or Price/101 & Apache locations, but really you can start anywhere!

If you’re starting from the west side of town, here’s where to go:

West Side Stops	Board First Eastbound Train After
19th Ave. & Montebello	1:30 pm
19th Ave. & Camelback	1:30 pm
7th Ave. & Camelback	1:30 pm
Central Ave. & Camelback	1:30 pm

If you’re starting on the east side of town, start here:

East Side Stops	Board First Westbound Train After
Sycamore & Main	1:15 pm
Price/101 & Apache	1:15 pm
McClintock & Apache	1:15 pm
Dorsey & Apache	1:15 pm
38th St & Washington	1:30 pm

Where to Stop

Everyone exit the train at the Central and Roosevelt Station.

Mid-ride party

Our mid-ride party will be at Angels Trumpet Ale House. They will have some specials for us if you want to grab a bite or a pint. This is an all-ages place, so minors are welcome. We’ll stay here for about an hour or so, but you are free to leave early if you need to, or stay later if you’re having fun.

It will be about a 5 minute walk from the Roosevelt station, so bring those (temporary) pants if you need them (see above).

Handy Map & Cheat Sheet

Here’s a handy No Pants Google Map of all the starting locations, the exit location, and how to find Angels Trumpet Ale House.

And you can print out this cheat sheet of where the stops are and other basic info to take with you on the ride.

Updates and Pictures

Make sure you RSVP for the Facebook Event – that’s where we will post any last minute updates, and information as we’re going along!

You can follow us on Twitter for any last minute news or updates as we go. The hashtag to use for Twitter (or Instagram, Flickr, or anywhere else is):#NoPantsPhx

Questions?

Ask away either here or on Facebook!

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.