Naked Pumpkin Run

The Naked Pumpkin Run is an annual event in certain United States municipalities where participants run a course through a town while nude, save for shoes and a carved pumpkin on their heads.[1] Runs have been held in Boulder, Colorado, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Arcata, California.[2]

Naked Pumpkin Run 2010

History

The event can be traced to 1974 when hundreds of University of Colorado at Boulder students ran across the campus in the nude in a failed attempt to set a Guinness World Record.[1]

Starting in 2001, scores of people took part in a Halloween run through Boulder's streets wearing only shoes and a hollowed-out pumpkin on their heads.[1]

In 2008, 150 people ran naked for the 10th official annual Naked Pumpkin Run.[2] 12 participants were arrested and charged with indecent exposure.[3] In 2009, local police threatened participants with charges of indecent exposure and registration as a sex offender if they were arrested during the run.[1] The few people who subsequently participated in the run wore enough clothing to avoid being arrested.[2] In 2010, the Boulder city council passed a local ordinance prohibiting public nudity. Boulder's mayor said the city had ended the pumpkin run after it had attracted increasing numbers of participants. The American Civil Liberties Union argued in favor of the event.[4]

Boulder also hosts an annual clothing-optional bike ride that protests the use of fossil fuels.[1]

Runners in Hamilton, Ontario had their first Naked Pumpkin run on October 30, 2015.[4] Ten runners participated in the inaugural event, without arrest or incident.

See also

References
  1. Simon, Stephanie (October 31, 2009). "Boulder's Naked Halloween Streak May Be Coming to an End". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 2009-11-03. This city has always taken pride in its liberal-to-the-point-of-loony reputation. But this Halloween, one of its wackiest traditions is under siege: the Naked Pumpkin Run.
  2. "Police squash nude pumpkin run". BBC. November 1, 2009. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 2009-11-03. Each year, dozens have run down the city's streets wearing only shoes and a hollowed-out pumpkin on their heads. Police said "full" participants this year faced indecent exposure charges.
  3. Bounds, Amy (14 August 2009). "Scientists, students among those cited for nudity". Daily Camera. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  4. Craggs, Samantha (29 October 2015). "People will run naked in Westdale with pumpkins on their heads". CBC. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.