PORTLAND, Oregon — Portland's World Naked Bike Ride, a longstanding annual popular event, has been canceled this year, according event organizers.
On Wednesday, the nonprofit Portland World Naked Bike Ride, which puts together the event, took to social media to make the announcement — citing delays in planning for the event as the main reason for the cancelation. Organizers also mentioned a shortage on leadership recruitment goals needed to organize the event in time.
"There will be no World Naked Bike Ride in Portland this summer," they said. "Last year’s ride was a great success, but the planning for 2024 didn’t start in September as expected, and by springtime we realized we were behind on our leadership recruiting goals."
Organizers said it takes a lot of coordination with agencies like TriMet and Portland Parks and Recreation, along with neighborhood outreach and organization of volunteers to put together the event each year.
They encouraged anyone interested in volunteering to help plan out next year's Portland World Naked Bike Ride by applying online.
The World Naked Bike Ride was first held in 2004 as a protest. The event is considered a Portland version of global protests against Big Oil, according to the event website.
Further embodying the "Keep Portland Weird" mantra, it continues to grow as one of the many things Portland is recognized for. The event set a record with over 8,000 participants in 2013 and grew to an estimated 10,000 participants in 2014, according to the event website.
There are also several other opportunities to ride nude this summer through Pedalpalooza, a festival of bike activities throughout the summer from June 1 to August 31.