Topic Spin

Event: World Naked Bike Ride, Australia
Location: Australia
Dates: 7th, 9th, 14th, 15th and 21st March, 2009

So what is World Naked Bike Ride? It is an event where the bike riders face traffic without wearing any clothes. Strictly speaking, the participants can wear as little as they want to.

According to them, they do this as a way of defending their dignity, and as a way to bring awareness to the dangers faced by cyclists and pedestrians. Another objective is to expose the dangers of oil, cars, war, consumerism and non-renewable energy.

The Nimbin ride will be on March 7th, 2009. The Adelaide ride will be on March 9th, 2009. The main event will happen on 14th and 15th. After it, on 21st March, there will be one at Brisbane.

Protest Theme: Naturism, Environmentalism, Pacifism and Biketivism

Dress Code Motto: Bare As You Dare

Full and partial nudity is encouraged. Each rider can decide how much he or she wants to bare. This baring almost everything is the main distinguishing feature of World Naked Bike Ride.

Creative expression is also encouraged to create a fun and immersive atmosphere during the ride, to capture the attention and imagination of passers-by and the media, and to make the experience more personalized and fulfilling for the riders. Body art (such as body painting) are common forms of creative expression, as well as costumes, bicycle decoration, portable sound reinforcement systems (such as public address systems/bullhorns, and boomboxes), musical instruments as well as other types of noisemakers.

Here is what it is, in their own words: “World Naked Bike Ride is the biggest naked protest event in the world. It is the grooviest, funniest, most hippie greenie event. Riding in the WNBR will give you a natural high and a feeling of joy, liberation and freedom that will amaze you. The memory of WNBR will cheer you for years to come.”

For these events, the bikers will be meeting at public places. Then, the organization will take them to a secret location for debriefing and body painting.

Postscript: Aren’t there better ways to bring awareness to the dangers faced by cyclists and pedestrians? Your guess is as good as mine!