No Pants Day

Former Prime Minister of Canada Paul Martin poses for a photo with University of Waterloo students celebrating 'No Pants Day'.

No Pants Day is a prank that some groups have made into an annual event, happening on the first Friday in May. The prank is based on the premise of having people spend their day not wearing any pants (trousers). Participants are challenged to act as if there is nothing strange about not wearing pants in public. The liberation of breaking a social taboo and seeing the reaction of people not aware of the event generally makes the event fun for its participants.

History

There are unconfirmed reports that No Pants Day was first celebrated as early as 1985 or 1986.^[1]

Regional celebrations

Texas

The Knighthood of BUH at the University of Texas at Austin are advocates of the holiday.^[2] Austin has celebrated the day since 1997 according to a 1999 flyer.^[3] The holiday gets media attention every year, and as a result events celebrating No Pants Day have popped up in cities across the globe. Promoters state that the holiday is about not taking oneself seriously. The holiday is an example of surreal humor, which relies on an absurd situation (in this case, crowds of people walking around wearing no trousers).

Idaho

Boise, Idaho, celebrated its first No Pants Day in 2008.^[4]

Illinois

Saint Charles, Illinois, celebrated its first Pants Day in August 2007, it has been held every year since in mid August , and has become a local phenomenon. Participants are known to use the word ¨Pants¨ often throughout the day, as well as wearing no Pants.^{[citation needed]}

Paderborn, Germany

Celebrating the annual No Pants Day is a common tradition in Paderborn. Many students don't wear pants on campus and walk through the city without pants.^{[citation needed]}

Variations

In Australia, the radio station's 'today network' weekday afternoon program "The Hamish and Andy Show" (this year, the format has changed, whereby the "The Hamish and Andy Show" is only broadcast on Fridays), has a variation of this theme known as 'Pants Off Friday'.^[5] Every Friday, without fail, pants are not worn. The two radio programs hosts, Hamish & Andy, participate, while inviting their listeners to also participate in this Pants Off Friday. For photographic evidence, check their website ^[6]

The No Pants Subway Ride, an annual event organized by New York City prank collective Improv Everywhere is often erroneously referred to as "No Pants Day." In this event, members of the group enter a subway car at consecutive stops without pants in the middle of winter. Participants pretend that they do not know each other and if asked, claim that they simply "forgot" their pants. The first No Pants Subway Ride took place in 2002 with seven riders and has grown since then. The event has grown considerably over the years. In 2011 over 3,500 people participated in New York and thousands more participated in 50 other cities around the world. The fact that the No Pants Subway Ride has become a global event with multiple cities participating on the same day has led to its confusion with No Pants Day. The No Pants Subway Ride is celebrated in early January, with Improv Everywhere usually announcing the exact date a month ahead of time.^[7]

References

1. ^ No Pants Day FAQ
2. ^ University of Texas — Knighthood of the BUH
3. ^ Pictures on Flickr
4. ^ Boise No Pants Day
5. ^ Hamis and Andy Show. Accessed 2010 June 9.
6. ^ http://www.b105.com.au/shows/hamishandandy
7. ^ Improv Everywhere — The No Pants Subway Rides

External links

• WeHatePants.com
• Improv Everywhere's No Pants Subway Ride