Commuters Strip Off For Annual No Trousers On The Tube Ride

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Hundreds of commuters in London took to the underground in just their underwear this weekend, to travel in style with fellow un-trousered passengers.

Over 100 people in their droves jumped on board the tube on the Piccadilly Line on Sunday (January 13), fully clothed, and quickly proceeded to strip off their bottom halves down to their undies – specially picked for the occasion – in the name of fun.

Onlookers noted the removal of trousers was particularly difficult due to the packed nature of the carriages, for this, the 10th Annual ‘No Trousers on the Tube’ Day.

Elsewhere in London, crowds met outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, before heading underground where they boarded trains on different Tube lines across the capital.

Fellow passengers across the city were, of course, met with a rather unusual sight: Hundreds of commuters wrapped up in scarves, hats and gloves to battle the cold January weather up to their necks, but with only their boxers, briefs, and budgie-smugglers to keep their nether regions toasty and warm.

Even more bizarrely, it appears many of the participants in the No Trousers on the Tube event then proceeded to ignore each other in typical London commuter fashion when they boarded and de-robed, with many pictures showing passengers on their phones and reading the paper.

Other passengers, however, revelled in the banishing of societal norms, and spent their tube rides chatting and taking pictures of each other – in an obvious two-finger salute to general unspoken tube etiquette.

The event is part of the worldwide No Pants Subway Ride, which began in New York in 2002 and has since spread to over 60 cities around the globe.

The event also took place in Berlin and Prague on the same day, with dozens of passengers hopping onto the Metro and U-Bahn, respectively, half dressed and having fun with it.

Some participants in Germany dressed even more elaborately in bright orange Lycra shirts with their hair sprayed pink.

The No Pants Subway Ride was also reported to have taken place across Chicago, New York City, Amsterdam and San Francisco this weekend.

In England, the stunt is designed for a bit of a laugh and to poke fun at our national ‘stiff upper lip’.

The London event was organised by the Stiff Upper Lip Society, which asked participants to ‘avoid thongs/budgie-smugglers/anything see-through as we aim to amuse, not offend, fellow Underground users’.

Trouser-less revellers then headed to The Chandos pub in Trafalgar Square for an after party to celebrate, while some onlookers joked they were looking forward to ‘Burn All The Seats On The Tube’ Monday.

Meanwhile, across the internet, the stunt sparked a lot of attention on social media where, amid complaints from those who apparently have stiff upper lips after all, the memes were a-plenty.

Some referenced the most meme’d Netflix film in history, Birdbox:

Others simply complained about the potential for ‘unwashed asses’, the potential for poor hygiene, and the need to carry Dettol around with them for the day.

To be fair, with the temperatures on the tube at almost-exotic tropical levels most days, there’s a good chance this will catch on and other commuters will join in on the fun next year.

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Francesca Donovan

A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.