Update: See pictures and story from 2010 Solstice Parade
June 16, 2007 — In spite of morning clouds, the sun shone in places where it doesn't usually shine on Saturday at the Summer Solstice Parade in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood.
About 100 cyclists wearing only body paint and a smile pedaled down the parade route in advance of the official Summer Solstice Parade presented by the Fremont Arts Council.
I've heard about the parade and the Painted Cyclists ever since moving to the Seattle area about six years ago, so I decided it was high time I checked it out for myself. Growing up as a somewhat sheltered young fellow in the suburbs of Cincinnati many years ago, I'll admit I was a little startled at the stark nakedness that rolled past us at first.
But I soon got into the spirit and joined the streetside throngs in cheering the fantastic and humorous designs that people had been adorned with. The fact that they were all on bicycles — many which were decorated — made it more enjoyable.
Although they've faced some rocky issues with the police department over the years, this 16th appearance by the Painted Cyclists seemed to be tolerated by the bike police who were on hand.
The first naked cyclists in the early years of the Fremont parade were described as streakers. In the early part of this decade, Seattle police tried to convince the parade organizers to post warnings about enforcement of the public nudity laws. They refused.
Now the Painted Cyclists have become a big part of the parade, drawing lots of support from adults and kids along the route.
The act of body painting for the parade isn't something the cyclists do on a whim. Those colorful and whimsical designs can take hours to put on, and quite a while to remove.
The cyclists start showing up for body painting at a local man's house as early as 7 in the morning. Several of his neighbors also open their yards to the body artists.
The whole process can take between 45 minutes and 4 hours, depending on whether a base coat is applied. Removal of the paint requires lots of scrubbing; some have employed use of a pressure hose. It's said that of body hair can delay the cleaning process.
More images at flickr. Also, visit the Painted Cyclists web page.
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