If you travel on the London Underground, you might want to prepare yourself for what you’re likely to see this weekend.
That’s because the annual ‘No Trousers Tube Ride’ is returning on Sunday, January 12, meaning hundreds of people will be taking London’s public transport sans trousers.
The bizarre tradition has taken place in the capital each year since 2009 (barring lockdown when it was on hiatus) and was inspired by a No Pants Subway Ride in New York in 2002.
As part of this, people head down to the chosen meeting location fully clothed, before stripping down to their pants, and casually getting on the tube – but the catch is, everyone taking part has to act as blasé about it as possible, making it look like they simply ‘forgot’ their trousers.
For those taking part, there are a few rules: no small pants, thongs or anything see-through can be worn. Because let’s face it, there’s only so much fellow commuters can only handle on a Sunday afternoon.
Similar stunts have taken place previously all around the world, however it seems London is the only city still keeping the tradition alive in 2025 as elsewhere the event is no longer going ahead.
And while many will likely get involved this year, there are plenty who don’t think it should be happening anymore, including the original event organisers, The Stiff Upper Lip Society.
The group stopped organising the tube ride in 2023 as they felt it had ‘run its course’. In 2024 it’s thought the event was taken over by a prior member of the group, Dave Selkirk.
The event has well and truly divided social media users, with some branding it ‘horrific’.
Reddit user u/zehtov thought it was ‘disgusting’, while a different poster admitted the tube ride ‘baffled them every year’.
u/GetCapeFly wrote: ‘I am of the opinion trousers should be worn indefinitely in public, especially wehn standing in a crowded tube carriage with complete strangers.’
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Similarly, on Facebook, Sharon Harris proclaimed that it was ‘messed up’, and Jo Elliott agreed it would ‘make [her] feel sick’ to see.
But others didn’t see an issue with it as they claimed wearing pants was ‘no different from being on the beach’ and that London’s annual nude cycle ride was much worse.
When and where is the No Trousers Tube Ride taking place?
For 2025, the No Trousers Tube Ride will be taking place on Sunday, January 12 and those who want to give it a go will be gathering at the old pagoda spot in Chinatown, Soho, at 14:45.
At this point everyone should be fully clothed, with a bag to store their trousers/skirt in when they remove them.
Everyone will set off at 3pm and head to the tube for the journey. People will drop their pants, get on the train and proceed to act as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening – reading books, chatting or listening to music.
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