No Pants Subway Ride
The ultimate test of bravery and chutzpah, when thousands of people worldwide ditch their pants and ride the subway in their undies.
Leverage the viral, irreverent humor of No Pants Subway Ride to create bold, shareable content that appeals to younger audiences seeking authentic, rule-breaking brand moments.
- Behind-the-scenes coverage of real participants—humanize the absurdity
- Brand dare campaigns: 'What would you do for [product]?'
- Comedy/parody content riffing on the event's chaotic energy
- User-generated content contest celebrating unconventional confidence
No Pants Subway Ride started back in 2002 when a small group of seven riders decided to ride the subway without their pants. This group of people was part of Improv Everywhere, a comedic performance art group that creates pranks or “missions” that cause scenes of chaos and joy. The group earned notoriety in 2006 when they created their first Youtube channel and started posting videos of their missions in New York City. Soon, the No Pants Subway Ride trend caught on and people in major cities all over the world started celebrating this holiday by taking off their pants and taking joy rides on their local subway.
However, the beginnings of this trend had some backlash. During the year 2006, while at least 150 people participated in the event, eight people got arrested for disorderly conduct, but later on, the charges were dropped. The holiday spread to London and Moscow and soon, hundreds of people all over the world started getting excited for the holiday, registering their VIP passes to Improv Everywhere gatherings and preparing ahead of time for this crazy and unusual event. As improv always is, it’s all about the laughter that comes with it.