Solstice Cyclists
The Solstice Cyclists (also known as The Painted Cyclists of the Solstice Parade, or The Painted Cyclists) is an artistic, non-political, clothing-optional bike ride celebrating the Summer Solstice. It is the unofficial start of the Summer Solstice Parade & Pageant, an event produced by the Fremont Arts Council in the Fremont district of Seattle.
The event was started by streakers who crashed the parade. The first person to do so may have done so on a dare. Participants now emphasize bodypainting and other artistry. The group is the largest and fastest growing ensemble associated with the parade. The parade, put on by Fremont Arts Council, starts at noon on the third Saturday in June (the Saturday before or on the actual solstice); painted cyclists typically arrive at 11:45 a.m. and ride for a little over an hour.
Art bikes are common and cycles include BMX bikes, cycle rickshaws, unicycles, clown bicycles, tall bikes, lowrider bicycles, tandem bicycles and tricycles. People come from all over the country to ride. Full and partial (especially topfree) nudity is popular, but not mandatory.
While cyclists open the parade, they are not in the parade line-up (except in 2003 when they had a float). Parade rules say "any printed communications, written words, recognizable logos, signage, leaf-letting, or advertising in any form are prohibited on the parade route."
Recent events include a pre-ride bodypainting party, a party ride through the city, and the parade itself at noon.
Read more about Solstice Cyclists: Controversy, See Also
Famous quotes containing the word solstice:
“Oh, what a catastrophe for man when he cut himself off from the rhythm of the year, from his unison with the sun and the earth. Oh, what a catastrophe, what a maiming of love when it was a personal, merely personal feeling, taken away from the rising and the setting of the sun, and cut off from the magic connection of the solstice and the equinox!”
—D.H. (David Herbert)