The No Trousers Tube Ride will go ahead in the capital on Sunday despite a fresh round of industrial strike action planned for this weekend.
The annual event, which began in 2009, has returned for the second time since the Covid pandemic and will this year fall on January 7. Londoners are expected to meet at Chinatown Soho and head off from the underground at around 3pm in just their underwear to partake in the brazen stunt.
Group leader and organiser of six years Dave Selkirk told the Standard: “It's been a popular event for so many years because it's an event just for the sake of fun. It's a very welcoming crowd and pictures over the years show what a great time everyone has. With all the sadness or seriousness out there in the world today, it's a privilege to live in London and have an event such as this where we can just let go and have fun."
The event is to be followed by an after party with turnout dependent on Tube strike impact. TfL has advised all Londoners to complete Tube journeys by 5.30pm.
What is the No Trousers Tube Ride?
The No Trousers Tube Ride is an annual event in which Londoners remove their trousers and ride the Tube in their pants.
The idea is to act completely normal – by reading a paper or listening to music– while being trouserless. People have been asked to keep underpants as lowkey as possible to make it appear as though they’ve simply forgotten trousers.
When is the No Trousers Tube Ride?
The No Trousers Tube Ride will take place at 3pm on Sunday January 7.
Who can take part in the No Trousers Tube Ride?
Anyone can take part in the No Trousers Tube Ride. Just head to Chinatown Soho (WCH2 7JR), to meet the event organisers, who will lead the participants to nearby Tube stations.
Organisers have not revealed the route ahead of time, so meeting up in Chinatown may be the only way to guarantee you can take part. All participants are asked to behave safely around others and be mindful of their own safety.
How did the No Trousers Tube Ride start?
The No Trousers Tube Ride began in 2009 and was inspired by the No Pants Subway Ride, which was created by Improv Everywhere in New York in 2002.
The first-ever event in New York City in 2006 involved seven trouserless men boarding the subway train, one at each stop for seven consecutive stops, pretending not to notice each other. The train was stopped and eight people were handcuffed and taken into custody for not wearing trousers but the charges were later dismissed.
The next year hundreds of people took part and in 2008 the event went international, with nine cities participating. Since 2010, thousands of New Yorkers have taken part in the annual prank. More than 60 cities around the world now stage the event, including Berlin, Lisbon, Tokyo and Toronto.
