Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

The organisers of the No Pants 2009 subway ride (officially called No Pants 2k9) are hoping for a record turnout for this year's event, which takes place on Saturday January 10th.

This will be the 8th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride, which last year had 900 participants in New York, and another thousand riders in 9 other cities around the world.

The annual "prank" is organised by the well known New York-based group Improv Everywhere. This year the net is spreading wider, with more cities with mass transportation systems (including above-ground trains and trolleys) joining in on the fun.

So far official events are being organised in Adelaide, Australia, Amsterdam, Shoqs (The Netherlands), Atlanta, Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Denver, Hamburg, Lisbon, Las Angeles, Montreal, New York, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, Seoul, Sydney, Toronto, Twin Cities (Minnesota), Vienna, Warsaw, and Washington DC.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like anyone in New Zealand has taken up the challenge... I would have thought the stunt would work well in Auckland and/or Wellington? (London also seems a notable omission from the above list?)

Check out this page at Improv Everywhere for links to the organised groups in each city...

No Pants 2k9 will take at 3pm this Saturday. Anyone is welcome to join in on the improv event, with the only rules being that participants must be willing to take off their pants while riding on the subway (as in trouser pants, Not underpants!), and they must be able to keep a straight face during the ride.

Riders are split into smaller groups, and assigned a specific stop where everyone should remove their pants and put in their backpack.

Participants aren't allowed to reveal the joke to other riders, but if asked why they have taken off their pants, they must say something along the lines of "they were getting uncomfortable".

* Improv Everywhere - The No Pants! Subway Ride - History

* Improv Everywhere - Global No Pants Subway Ride details