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Yes, Summer has finally arrived! Our first World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) Seattle event of the year is scheduled for this Saturday, July 9, 2011!
Every year, in cities around the world, thousands ride bikes naked to celebrate human-powered transport and the power and individuality of the human body. WNBR demonstrates the vulnerability of cyclists on the road and offers a simple, cheap, healthy + fun alternative to car culture. We hope you can join us!
Find out more about the international WNBR movement.
While we encourage riders to "bare as you dare" (it is Nude Recreation Week, afterall), nudity is not required or expected.
Just come ride with us dressed for fun and spread cheer and inspire others with our pro-cycling message! You are always allowed to strip down as much as you like, when you feel comfortable. A swimsuit or undies are recommended if you want to go in the water without being naked. Remember, nude is not lewd! Looking for ideas? See some examples on our international WNBR Flickr photo group.
UPDATE! Check out our new WNBR Seattle 2011 YouTube promotional video
with a special preview of the start location and Pre-Ride Party (see info below) on the Seattle Waterfront! In just two days we've had over 335 views! You can view it in high definition up to 1080p! You can help us by "liking" the video, adding comments + "sharing" the video with your friends and posting it to your favorite social media sites. You can also search for other awesome WNBR Seattle videos from years past there as well).
This is a grassroots, collaborative, D.I.Y. event, so bring your own body paint (and supplies), creative wearable art, musical instruments and bike art supplies. Things can go much smoother when you bring your friends to help out! Tell them to bring their bikes and they might even ride along with you! Here are some body art resources to consider.
As always, the latest scoop on the WNBR Seattle rides can be found on our WNBR Seattle Wiki Website.
Introducing Olympic Sculpture Park Beach, featuring a sandy shoreline + a sweeping view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains!
The new WNBR Downtown Seattle start/meetup and end location is at Olympic Sculpture Park Beach. (Please refer to Olympic Sculpture Park Map). The address of Olympic Sculpture Park
is 2901 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121. If you look at the map, the beach is located at the North end of Foster Foundation Path, on the South end of Myrtle Edwards Park, off the Elliott Bay Trail/Terminal 91 Bike Path. Please note we will not be going into the main areas of the park naked.
For a detailed map of the areas you will want to know for the Pre-Ride Party in Belltown, the Olympic Sculpture Park Beach and surrounding area (parking, restrooms, bike path access) please check out this Google Map link. |
The Ride Starts at 2 PM!! The ride will be an amazing tour of the urban core of Seattle! We will go along the Central Waterfront, through Pioneer Square
, Downtown, Pike Place Farmer's Market, the Pike/Pine Coridor, Capitol Hill, Belltown
and the Seattle Center International Fountain (video
) and back to the OSP Beach to finish off the day with a Seattle Skinny dipping Record Attempt and small potluck social!
Check out pictures and video of the Olympic Sculpture Park Beach in our new WNBR Seattle 2011 YouTube video!
Please bring a creative minimum amount of clothing for the ride (undies, loincloth, sock, pasties, loincloth or thong) in case you need it.
**Please note** we may be entering the Seattle Center from a different entrance this year. Please follow instructions from ride marshals before and during the ride. In the past we have entered on Harrison Street, near the North side of the Experience Music Project. (See Seattle Center WNBR Event Map)
When we enter the large International Fountain (video
) area, we must all get off our bikes and walk with our bikes into the fountain area. Bicycles are not permitted down into the water area. Lock your bike, walk down the ramps. We will spend no more than 15-20 minutes in the fountain. Please also be very polite and vocal (or ring bells) when passing around adults and children in the area. We have also been asked not to use amplified sound such as megaphones in this area. The Seattle Center puts up signs to alert sensitive people to the presence naked people. Thank you for ensuring a safe and fun Seattle Center experience for everybody!
Don't forget to have your bike tuned up, tires pumped and make sure your bicycle is properly fit to your size.
Post-Ride Beach Wade-in + Light Social Potluck
Inspired by other WNBR wade-in traditions such as at the end of WNBR Vancouver (BC, Canada) and WNBR Brighton & Hove (UK), we're planning to set a new record for skinny dipping at a Seattle beach! So stick around with us after the Seattle Center!
(You can easily throw on your undies until you reach the beach after rinsing off your body paint in the fountain, if you wish).
By the way, the Seattle Center has no problem with us washing off our body paint in the International Fountain. They explained to us that they actually have a very thorough filter system because of all the messy kids (+ fun-loving adults!) Better to wash off in the fountain than in the Puget Sound!
Keep it clean!
Bring something simple and light like pre-washed fruit or veggies to share and water for yourself.
Afterwards we can return to UEC for cleanup and to pickup after ourselves.
Come to our Crazy Pre-Ride Party at the Underground Events Center in Belltown!
We've got an incredible new space for our Pre-Ride Party at the nearby Underground Events Center (UEC) in Belltown (very close to our beach start location)! It also was the Body Painting Party location of the world-famous 2008 Solstice Cyclists. The address is 2407 1st Ave
(between Battery St & Wall St), Seattle, WA 98121 (see map below).
Tourists + Seattleites alike love the creativity, exuberance + spontaneity of the naked cyclists!
Please consider decorating your body and your bike with WNBR themes or bring musical instruments! What to bring
View WNBR Downtown Seattle Ride 2011 in a larger map
View Larger Map
The Pre-Ride Party formally commences at 10:30 am and ends at 1:30 PM. The UEC will lock down and the ride departs at 1:40 pm from the Underground Events to the Olympic Sculpture Park Beach Start/End location for a 2 PM beach departure.
The Underground Events Center Pre-Ride Party will be great place to body paint, decorate your bike, finalize your handmade costumes, adjust your helmet, tie your shoes, use the restroom one last time, inflate your tires, find helpful people to answer all of your questions, check the latest information about the route, take soom cool snapshots of your ensemble in front of the UEC murals, enjoy some raw juice and smoothies that our volunteers will be offering and meet other like minded free-wheeling folk! Yes friends, it's all that and so much more! Check out pictures and video of the UEC space in our new WNBR Seattle 2011 YouTube video!
For consideration of people with different privacy needs at the UEC Pre-Ride Party, there will be two photography zones inside the building:
limited photography + no photography. If you don't want your picture taken in the public areas outside of the building or on the ride while naked, please consider wearing a disguise, sunglasses or wearing clothes. There are many reasons people may not want to go naked but still ride with us in solidarity. Please also see our photography policy.
Volunteers are encouraged to show up ahead of the body painting party around 10:15 am to help set up. We also need help to break down and cleanup the site. Contact us ASAP if you can help!
After Party Anyone?!
We may later hit a bar for a clothed social and after ride decompression (Belltown, Fremont, Queen Anne?) One thing we've learned over the years is that many naked cyclists like to drink beer and chill after the ride to recall what happened during the ride, plan for the future and meet like-minded creative, fun-loving folks like themselves.
More info
For those carpooling/driving, limited parking is available in the area (see map
). We encourage you to take the bus, walk or bike to the start location! Even better, come with your friends, family and co-workers! A bathroom is located up the Elliott Bay Trail, within the Elliott Bay Park (probably ~6-8 minute bike ride away), at the OSP facility, at the UEC, Cal Anderson Park and the Seattle Center (see map).
Your generous support and donations help make good things happen!
Please consider making a generous donation to offset our expenses, whatever you can afford. $5 - $30 sliding scale is suggested, but nobody will be turned away for lack of ca$h because we love you and we don't want any obstacles for you to join in the fun! We do have hundreds of dollars of expenses such as renting the art space and promotional expenses (web + other expenses). Thanks!
Please visit our WNBR Seattle wiki website for the latest details on the ride, or see contact info at right.
WNBR Photo above courtesy of Marc Martin.
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