Fremont’s naked bike ride set to pedal through rainy solstice Saturday

The next solstice parade in Fremont is Saturday, and with it comes lots of naked, painted bicyclists.

Approximately 1,000 nude cyclists are expected to ride ahead of Saturday’s parade. Their schedule is to paint themselves in the morning, ride to Gas Works Park, and form up with the other bikers at 12:30 p.m. Then, they’ll ride from Gas Works Park to the start of the parade, and then, by 12:45 p.m., loop on the parade route as desired, exiting when the ride is over at a “clean-up paint party.”

Getting together in advance to get painted is “actually the best part,” Bradford, who first rode nude in 2007, told Axios.

“I can’t even believe that many people are going to be riding their bikes naked for the Fremont Solstice parade,” KIRO host Ursula Reutin said.

The Fremont Solstice Parade debuted in 1989, according to Axios, with the first biking streakers appearing shortly after in the early ’90s. Two naked riders were arrested in 1998, but the tradition became widely accepted by the 2000s.

Poor weather on the horizon

Rain is on the docket for Seattle this weekend, despite it being the official summer solstice.

There’s as high as a 75% chance of rain on Saturday, starting at 7 a.m. Chances of rain drop to sub-50% by 1 p.m., with Sunday also expected to receive some rain. Clouds are supposed to cover the Seattle skies for most of the morning and early afternoon on Saturday.

“It’s not going to be that warm, it’s going to be a little chilly,” KIRO host Gee Scott said. “It’s going to be chilly and wet, but we might have more participation (in the bike ride).”

Even with the dour summer weather, The Seattle Bike Blog recommends putting sunscreen on first, then body paint. The best “paints” for the naked cyclists are either face paints or theatrical make-up liquids and cakes.

“The event is in public, and people will be taking photos. Take that into consideration with your costuming, and if you are planning to get painted at Gas Works Park,” The Seattle Bike Blog wrote. “It’s not in the spirit of the event for creepy dudes to be taking lots of photos, but it could happen. Also, don’t be that guy.”

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