"London now appears to be the last place still keeping the tradition alive in 2026, with similar events quietly fading elsewhere. Not everyone, however, believes it should continue. That includes the original organisers, The Stiff Upper Lip Society, who stepped away from running the Tube ride in 2023 after deciding it had run its course. Organisation is thought to have passed the following year to a former member, Dave Selkirk."
"The annual event continues to attract large numbers of participants The event works with participants gathering at a pre-arranged meeting point dressed for a normal day out, before discreetly removing their trousers and boarding the Tube in nothing more than their underwear. There are, however, a few ground rules. Tiny underwear, thongs or anything remotely transparent is off-limits. After all, even on a Sunday afternoon, there are limits t"
"Participants try to blend in with the rest of the crowd Participants are expected to behave as if nothing is out of the ordinary, maintaining the illusion that they've simply forgotten their trousers altogether. Several images emphasise the surreal nature of the event, with groups of coats and bare legs lining up along train carriages, turning a routine commute into a quietly absurd tableau."
Riders board central London trains wearing coats and footwear but no trousers, turning commutes into a light-hearted spectacle. The unofficial gathering begins near Chinatown with small groups drifting across Tube lines. The event is apolitical and aims to break winter monotony by doing something unexpected and sharing laughs with strangers. Participants assemble dressed normally, discreetly remove trousers, and are expected to behave as if nothing is unusual, preserving an illusion of forgotten clothing. Organisers changed after 2023 when the original group stepped away, and London remains one of the last cities still staging the ride.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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