Hundreds cruise Philadelphia streets in the 15th annual Philly Naked Bike Ride

PHILADELPHIA — Hundreds of people in various stages of undress took to the streets of Philadelphia on Saturday night, to cheers from onlookers during the 15th annual Philly Naked Bike Ride.

The annual ride, which began in 2009, is billed as a promotion of cycling as a vital form of transportation and fuel-conscious consumption. It’s also meant to encourage body positivity. Organizers stress, however, that participants don’t have to ride completely naked, saying they should be “as naked as you dare.”

Organizers said the ride was not limited to bicycles alone, but that “all forms of human-powered transportation” such as roller skates, skateboards and scooters were welcomed. They also pointed to a code of conduct that prohibits any form of physical or sexual harassment.

The route changes each year, but generally highlights the city’s landmarks. This year, runners gathered in the city’s sprawling Fairmount Park, some getting body painted, before setting off on a 12-mile (19-kilometer) route along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, past historic City Hall to posh Rittenhouse Square and into South Philadelphia, before heading north around the U.S. Mint and finishing in a park in West Philadelphia near Drexel University.

The ride used to be held in September, often in temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius), but enough of the naked riders reported being cold that the ride was moved to August a few years ago. The 2020 ride was canceled due to the pandemic.