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The Philly Naked Bike Ride is officially set for August

The 2023 ride will take place on Aug. 26.

Last year, people at Rittenhouse Square react to the annual Philly Naked Bike Ride. A local tradition for more than a decade, the Philly Naked Bike Ride first came to the city in 2009. It promotes cycling advocacy, body positivity, and economic sustainability.
Last year, people at Rittenhouse Square react to the annual Philly Naked Bike Ride. A local tradition for more than a decade, the Philly Naked Bike Ride first came to the city in 2009. It promotes cycling advocacy, body positivity, and economic sustainability.Read moreHEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer

The Philly Naked Bike Ride is officially set for Aug. 26, organizers said.

Details for the annual clothing-optional event, including starting location and route, will be released 24 hours before the ride begins.

Launched locally in 2009, the Philly Naked Bike drew about 400 participants who rode along a four-mile course. The ride was held annually in September, but in 2019, it was moved up to August to take advantage of warmer weather. It was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but returned in 2021.

In addition to moving up in the calendar, the length of the ride has also grown. In 2019, for example, the route swelled to nine miles, running from FDR park in South Philadelphia to Eakins Oval in Center City. And last year’s ride, which kicked off at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park, meandered through Center City along a 12-mile route before wrapping up at the Fillmore Philadelphia with an after-party.

The free ride typically brings out several thousand riders and works to promote cycling advocacy, body positivity, and economic sustainability. Clothing for the ride is optional, with organizers in the past describing it as a “bare as you dare” event.

The ride also has an extensive code of conduct, which includes strict policies against sexual and physical harassment. Behavior such as unwanted comments about a person’s body or sexuality, or photography without consent, aren’t tolerated.

“One of the goals of the Philly Naked Bike Ride is to desexualize nudity and to encourage everyone to embrace nudity as a normal, enjoyable way of life,” the code of conduct reads. “Following this policy will help further this goal and teach all of us how to be better people in general.”

Naked Bike Rides have been held around the world since the early 2000s.