The annual Philly Naked Bike Ride passes by Philadelphia City Hall on Aug. 26, 2023. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)

The Saturday afternoon sun was as bright as the grins on participants’ faces as the Philly Naked Bike Ride returned for its 15th year. 

Cyclists rolled through Center City wearing little more than body paint and glitter, catching the attention of spectators and spreading their message of body positivity. 

Philadelphia’s ride has been happening near annually since 2009, and it’s one of the largest in the U.S. People traveled this year from New York, Baltimore, Virginia, and elsewhere to take part in the spectacle.

“Each year, more and more people come,” Stanley Ware, a longtime organizer with PNBR, told Billy Penn. “It’s to advocate the beauty of the human body in all stages. Mastectomy, colostomy, whatever — we love you just for being here.”

Like other events connected to the World Naked Bike Ride, which tracks more than 120 such meetups around the globe, the Philly ride promotes cycling as a form of transport and serves to advocate for less reliance on fossil fuels. (Hence one of PNBR’s slogans: “Less gas, more ass.”)

It’s also a lot of fun for those who take part, as evidenced by the smiles that abounded as riders painted color on one another and prepped for the 13-mile route at the start in Lemon Hill Park.

Scroll down to check out (NSFW) photos from the 2023 Philly Naked Bike Ride.

“I am the giver and the creator of positive energy that is my purpose on Earth”- Stanley Ware, a Philly resident, waves pink flags at Lemon Hill Park in advance of the 2023 Philly Naked Bike Ride. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
PNBR participants paint each others bodies at at Lemon Hill Park in advance of the 2023 Philly Naked Bike Ride. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
“Candie” wears body paint at for the 2023 Philly Naked Bike Ride. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
“Bumble Bee” paints on a PNBR participant at at Lemon Hill Park on August 26, 2023. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
Alexa and Eli, from Maryland, Baltimore, hug under a tree at Lemon Hill Park before the start of the 2023 Philly Naked BIke Ride. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
Marc Tous, a South Jersey artist, paints the body of “Candie,” his childhood librarian, at Lemon Hill Park in advance of the 2023 Philly naked Bike Ride. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
Body paint features one of the Philly Naked Bike Ride slogans: “Less gas, more ass.” (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
Participants pour glitter on each other right before the 2023 Philly Naked Bike Ride. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
Brandon H, a New York resident riding for the 6th time with PNBR, poses for a portrait at Lemon Hill Park on August 26, 2023. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
A couple wear body paint for the 13 mile naked bike on Aug. 26, 2023. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
PNBR participants take off their clothes in prep for the 2023 Philly Naked Bike Ride. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
The 2023 Philly Naked Bike Ride passes through Center City. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
People at City Hall react to the annual Philly Naked Bike Ride passing by on Aug. 26, 2023. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
People at City Hall react to the annual Philly Naked Bike Ride passing by on Aug. 26, 2023. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
Rollerbladers are also welcome to participate in the 13-mile route of PNBR. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
Spectators at Dilworth Park raise their phones to capture the spectacle of the 2023 Philly Naked Bike Ride(Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
A spectator takes video of the annual Philly Naked Bike Ride passing City Hall on Aug. 26, 2023. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)
“Bumble Bee” poses for a portrait at Lemon Hill Park in advance of the 2023 Philly Naked Bike Ride. (Solmaira Valerio for Billy Penn)

Solmaira Valerio is a North Philly native photographer. They studied photography at the Community College of Philadelphia and graduated with a BA in Journalism and a minor in Clinical Psychology from Temple...