No Pants Subway Ride Attracts Thousands Worldwide [PHOTOS]

People all over the world stripped down to their skivvies Sunday for the 12th annual No Pants Subway Ride.

The event, which originated in New York, was established by a group called Improv Everywhere that prides itself in “causing scenes.” The group describes itself as a "prank collective that causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places."

The collective explains that the purpose of the No Pants Subway Ride is simply for people to enjoy a leisurely trip on the subway, sans pants.

"The idea behind No Pants is simple: random passengers board a subway car at separate stops in the middle of winter without pants. The participants do not behave as if they know each other, and they all wear winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves. The only unusual thing is their lack of pants."

The inaugural No Pants Subway Ride took place in 2002 with just seven male participants, and has grown to a gathering of thousands. Last year’s subway ride saw 4,000 New York participants, as well as tens of thousands more around the world in 59 cities and 27 countries.

The 7th No Pants Subway Ride in 2008 was the first to go international, with 900 participants in New York, and nine participating cities in total: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Washington DC, and Adelaide, Australia.

There is not yet a count on how many people participated in this year’s pantless ride.

The event isn’t without controversy; the 5th annual No Pants ride was cut short by a police officer who forced all riders to leave the train, which was then taken out of service. Eight people were arrested, but were ultimately acquitted of all charges as donning underwear in public is not illegal in New York.

This year’s subway ride saw no incident; however, CNN suggests that it did prove one thing, an overall “lack of quality undergarments.”