Chicago’s 19th Bare-As-You-Dare World Naked Bike Ride Will Take Place This Weekend

The clothing-optional ride aims to celebrate “freedom from oil and the beauty of people.”

Having been pushed back to August last year, and canceled the year before, the World Naked Bike Ride will return to its usually June weekend for 2022. The nineteenth edition of the World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) will this year take place on Saturday, June 25 from 8 pm until midnight.

The international clothing-optional event aims to bring attention to “freedom from oil” by championing cycling as an environmentally friendly means of transport while also celebrating the beauty of people with a 15-mile bike ride through Chicago. It is not primarily a naturist party but is rather a free speech exercise “trying to save the planet.”

According to the World Naked Bike Ride: Chicago website, the event is “bare-as-you-dare; anything from body paint to underwear to fanciful costumes are encouraged.”

However, as full-frontal nudity is illegal in Chicago, organizers remind interested riders that participating in this way is at their own risk but the event does see large numbers of participants go all out each year.

Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of riders including both cyclists and skaters have participated in previous versions of Chicago’s World Naked Bike Ride. Most years the gathering begins around 6 pm where people cover themselves in large-scale body painting before the ride itself kicks off at roughly 8 pm. Large-scale body painting is typically available pre-ride

A location and route are usually disclosed a day or two before the event but you can find all necessary information, FAQs, and a list of “basics” to consider before attending at chicagonakedride.org or via the @ChiNakedRide Twitter account.