The ‘No Pants Subway Ride’ Is Coming Back to Boston

It's happening in January. Beware of bare bums on the the T!

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The bare backsides of fellow straphangers will be returning to a T platform near you in the New Year.

On Sunday, January 12, Boston will celebrate its 7th annual “No Pants Subway Ride,” where hundreds of train passengers board the MBTA, and then drop their bottoms in the middle of the ride in front of unsuspecting strangers.

The “No Pants Subway Ride” is part of an annual global event that was started by a group known as Improv Everywhere, in New York, in 2002. Originally a prank between seven friends, it soon caught on and the bare-legged celebration was embraced worldwide.

The Boston version is put on by BostonSOS, an offshoot group that believes in having fun “purely for the sake of having fun,” and puts on events throughout the year in Boston to make the community a “more interesting place to be.” The group, and the nearly nude subway experience, were inspired by the New York City group.

While on most days, if someone were to remove their pants on the MBTA it might raise some eyebrows—and even lead to a call to police—BostonSOS has been working exclusively with T officials for the last seven years to make sure all participants are safe, and that no one gets arrested.

“This is NOT illegal. Regular underwear does not constitute indecent exposure,” the group said prior to their event last year. “That said, if you expose ‘certain parts’ of your body, even removing your shirt, or wear a thong, or something somewhat see-through, the police won’t be on your side anymore and neither will we.”

The group, which choreographs the rides so that participants are always together with other people, tracks the day-long event using a special hashtag on Twitter. Following the san-pants adventures, riders that are over 21 annually meet up at a local bar, and continue the festivities. Last year, people went to King’s in Back Bay, and dropped trou, while enjoying some grub and bowling.

Boston’s 7th annual No Pants Subway Ride will start at 1 p.m. this year, but exact details about the event’s meetup location won’t be announced until 9p.m., January 9, two days before the event.

“[Those details] will be announced closer to the event date,” according to organizers of the “No Pants Subway Ride.”

An after party will also be part of the pantsless experience. “This year’s after party returns to McGreevy’s, who hosted a pretty wild sans-pants party for us in 2011. They’ll be beefing up the team with extra staff to handle the crowd,” organizers said.

If you are having a hard time picturing what a T train packed with a bunch of pant-less people looks like, check out the photos from last year’s event.

Or, you could watch this video: