Houston has hosted one or more World Naked Bike Ride functions every year since 2011 (with the notable exception of 2020).
A few years ago, we decided to move the ride from the traditional second weekend in June to the second weekend in September, when it gets dark earlier and the air cools off earlier in the evening.
Yes, we ride at night. It’s too hot during the day. Plus, we take breaks at bars along the route, where we can explain to puzzled bar patrons just what the hell we’re doing and why.
IMPORTANT: NUDITY IS NOT CONSENT! We really can’t stress this enough. Participation in this ride is not an indication that someone is a target for pickup lines. This is a protest, not an opportunity to “hit on” fellow riders. Nor should anyone pressure anyone else into daring to bare more. If any participant is saying or doing anything that makes you uncomfortable, notify a ride organizer so that appropriate action may be taken.
ALSO IMPORTANT: Make sure that you and your bicycle (or skates) are in good working order. Have working lights on your bike, good shoes on your feet, and not too much intoxicant in your system. Riding drunk, or otherwise chemically impaired, is a really bad idea.
Here are a few FAQ.
Why do we ride?
World Naked Bike Ride is a protest. A protest can be for something, not just against. The pro in “protest” means for.
- We favor improvements for the safety of all road users. The nudity is a political statement, symbolizing the vulnerability of cyclists and pedestrians and calling for policies to protect them. Not everyone can afford a car, even in Houston.
- We favor swift action to stop the climate chaos that causes more frequent, more severe storms, floods, droughts, fires, etc. That means severely curbing (ending if possible) our dependency on fossil fuels, and that means getting over dependency on personal motor vehicles.
- We favor bodily freedom and individual expression.
Is this legal?
Houston: The city has an ordinance governing what parts of your anatomy can’t be on display in public. Riders flout this ordinance at their own risk. Remember, the WNBR dress code is Bare As You Dare.
Texas: The state has a strange statute under the section governing Disorderly Conduct. There is no law against public nudity per se. A prosecutor would have to prove that one is reckless about offending someone.
Houston, H-Town, What’s the Difference?
If there is a difference between them, H-Town (aka Hustle Town) is the culturally underground part of Houston. It’s where cool things happen. WNBR is more H-Town than Houston. Unfortunately, the moneyed folk of Houston have a habit of buying up cool places and knocking them down, converting them into more lucrative places—typically into multi-story, twelve-on-a-lot townhomes or mid-rise luxury apartment buildings.