Updated: Thousands of people packed into Fremont today to watch the popular Solstice Parade, the beginning of the Fremont Fair.
The most popular attraction is the naked and (mostly) painted bikers, who kicked off the beginning of the parade and also took a quick swing through Ballard. For complete coverage of the parade and this weekend’s fair, click over to our sister site FremontUniverse.com.
Solstice Parade and Fremont Fair gets underway
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-My-Ballard-Tile-Ad-Troop-100.png")
Naked bikers in Ballard too! We got surrounded by them. Some people just should not ride bikes naked.
Wouldn't a slingshot be a great thing?
lol…even if they wore it ;-)
Too bad that it isn't utilized for a benefit of some sort…
They could have raised a lot more than a few eyebrows.
“Some people just should not ride bikes naked.”
It's those folks who feel the urge to do it most. Too much self-esteem can be just as bad as too little.
Just came back…what's with the old men just walking around butt-naked, not on bikes, dangling their sad shriveled members at the kiddies?
Meow! Listen to yourselves – “Some people just should not ride bikes naked” and “Too much self-esteem can be just as bad as too little”… you should be ashamed of yourselves.
Shallow, shallow, shallow. :-P
they know that people like you will be there watching them.
No, they probably realize walking through the crush of people the only ones who will see their sad little members dangling just above the ground will be kids.
If you wanna go naked, get on your bike. Seattle is not a nudist colony for sad, middle aged men with shriveled members to wander around.
Fat, old, shriveled, sagging, lumpy, dimpled, freckled, what ever, you name it, none of us are photo shopped poster perfection in real life. Therefore, everyone should ride a bike naked at least once in their life. I promise the kids don't care until some tightwad bangs it into their heads that they should. Solstice, for some reason I don't have the answer for, has always been a celebration of freedom from tightwadness, and I for one hope it always will be. Bring on the less than perfect naked revelers- the more the merrier. Long live the Fremont Parade and all that it stands for. And bring on the gawkers, and tsk tskers, and religious fruitcakes damning all to hell too- silly jealous bastards you're all just part of the show.
Amen! Except for the “tightwad” comment. How about “uptight dimwit” instead?
It would do us all good, including kids (possibly *especially* kids) to see real, imperfect naked bodies, instead of the playboy bunnies/Greek gods that the media conditions us to be attracted to. And to see people being happy in, and proud of, those imperfect bodies.
And I felt that way even when *I* had a perfect body. (I think I remember back that far…)
Yes, but just wave your berry and twigs at the kiddies in Fremont. Luckily Ballard is too sensible and expensive for naked hippies.
Ballard more expensive than Fremont? Sensible? Neither of those coments have any realistic foundation. And for that matter how many males(?) have plural “twigs” and singular “berry” (ies)? Anyway, I'll leave the swinging of body parts to the “Stripper” (s).
Just trying to halt the Californication of Seattle; this is not Berkeley North, go dangle your genitals in your own childrens' faces please.
Jeezus, what does California have to do with anything? Have you ever lived in Berkeley? I haven't, and I haven't a clue WTF you mean. Oh wait, that's a song right? Sock wearing “Red Hot Chili Peppers.” Me thinks the Stripper doth protest too much about the dangling of genitals in front of children.
Bickering about the human body aside, this was another great parade!
Definitely a good time had by all.
Ballard has ben cheaper than Fremont for 40 years. Most of the bikers are young. Old people have nothing on the young when it comes to less than perfect bodies.
There were some beautiful and creative paint jobs this year, as always. My favorite was the 'Silver Surfer.' To those complaining about 'twigs and berries', if you can't take a few jiggly bits in the spirit of fun there are plenty of other parades in town to go to. It's all voluntary.
Cool! I can't stand the crowds so I never go but I appreciate the great photos. I don't mind the nekkidness one bit and I'm really impressed with the creativity of the “costumes.”
I've just never been able to understand how the bare genitals interact succesfully with the bike seats. Even with ample padding (internally and externally) bike seats can brutal. Just thinking…