Philadelphia hit record low temperatures this weekend.
But it’s not enough to stop those faithful to the city’s annual No Pants Subway Ride, which kicks off Sunday at 3 p.m. near the City Hall SEPTA stop.
Reached while he was scouting out the day’s route, event organizer Ray Wall, who was remarkably cheery for being out in the bitter cold, said he didn’t expect any dip in attendance this year, despite the weather.
Who’ll be there?
“A bunch of other crazy folks like myself,” he said, “who like to do something a little bit radical.”
The region’s recent extreme weather conditions actually help to highlight the social mission behind the ride: to raise awareness about homelessness.
“We got the choice of being out here if we want or not,” said Wall, 44, of Olney. “The homeless just don’t have a choice.”
Wall, who organizes the ride through his socially-minded laundry service Got Laundry?, asked participants to bring socks to the ride, which his team will donate to the homeless. Last year, the team collected a little over a hundred pairs of pants that it donated to local organizations like Career Wardrobe and Share.
Join us on January 7th for the 2018 Philly No Pants Subway Ride!
It's easy as 1,2,3,4:
1. Bring the socks you're donating.
2. Meet us at 15th and Market.
3. Get on the subway, drop your pants, and have some fun!
4. Head over to Happy Hour with everyone after for Happy Hour! pic.twitter.com/GlLXBfQsuZ— Got Laundry? (@GotLaundry) December 18, 2017
Riders will meet outside Citizens Bank at 15th and Market Streets and head to the (heated!) Market-Frankford Line to take their pants off and ride to 69th Street, where they’ll loop back to get on the Broad Street Line. A DJ will be on board. The day will finish at the Infusion Lounge in Old City, where mixologist Jung Park developed a slate of underwear- and laundry-themed cocktails for the occasion, like Tighty Whities, made with Irish cream and white chocolate. (“It was so ridiculous I was hesitant to send it over,” she said, laughing about the menu.)
The Philly No Pants Subway Ride is not affiliated with today’s international No Pants Subway Ride, organized by Improv Everywhere.
Also, the folks in Montreal are way more hardcore. (That’s Celsius.)
https://t.co/6GxWbmX938
NO PANTS SUBWAY RIDE MONTREAL TODAY!! It's cold outside, so have fun and stay warm inside a moving Montreal Metro car, without your pants. Shake of the cold, and blues in your true colors. Starts at Sherbrooke Metro at 2:30pm #Montreal #NoPantsSubwayRide pic.twitter.com/ukQLsuLhRZ— PaulMDavidson (@pauldesarts) January 7, 2018
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