Although still a niche choice, the world seems to be getting ready to celebrate nudity! There are events or celebrations days all over the world, and all year round. Here is my selection of the best for you to pencil in your diary, get naked, and attend!
Working Naked Day – Worldwide, 1st February 2019
Working Naked Day was founded by Lisa Kanarek, an American writer, and in all honesty it wasn’t originally meant about actually working in the buff. It was more a metaphor for the difficulties faced by those who work from home. However, the power of social media made this day go viral (follow the hashtags here and here for fun!), which also let to entire teams actually choosing to go to the office to work naked together! If you’re not ready to bare all in front of your colleagues, why not ask if you can work from home next Friday, and give yourself a working naked day!
Hadaka Matsuri – Japan, 16th February 2019
A Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival) is a type of Japanese festival in which men wear a minimum amount of clothing. Naked festivals are held in dozens of places throughout Japan every year, because it is believed that participants will have good fortune for the year ahead. Formerly rites of purification or initiation, some of these festivals have become real shows, attracting thousands of people. Even the notoriously shy Japanese bare all for luck!
World Naked Gardening Day – Worldwide, 4th May 2019
Celebrated every year on the first Saturday of May since 2005, WNGD has become an annual tradition that celebrates weeding, planting flowers and trimming hedges in the buff. “While it’s linked to a movement of nudists who promote wholesome and unashamed acceptance of the human body, the day is meant to be funny, lighthearted and non-political”, its founders say. They say gardening is a great way to be in touch with nature, surely even better as a naturist!
The World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) – Worldwide, 8th June 2019
The World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants meet and ride together en masse on human-powered transport (the vast majority on bicycles, but some on skateboards and inline skates), to “deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world”. It happens in many cities worldwide, with the 16th annual WNBR London Naked Bike Ride taking place in the afternoon of Saturday 8th June 2019. It’s worthy, it’s free, it’s fun, it’s legal and it’s making the world a better place for everyone. See you there?
World Bodypainting festival – Austria, 7th-13th July 2019
The World Bodypainting Festival is a celebration of body painting and the staging of the human body as an art object – as well as an experience space filled with music, shows and experimental performances. Founded in 1998, this festival established body painting as an art form, and to this day showcases the work and performances of artists joining from 50 countries in the world. Because our body is a work of art in itself, and even better when it is used as a means for art!
International Nude Day – Worldwide, 14th July 2019
Yes, an actual day in your calendar with the sole, simple aim to tell the world: we love being naked! International Nude Day originated in New Zealand, but quickly spread to other Western countries. Follow the #NationalNudeDay hashtag on Twitter and Instagram to see what people usually do to celebrate. And if you want to celebrate together this summer, get in touch!
Nudefest – Somerset, 8th -15th July 2019
Does what it says on the tin: it’s a proper week-long festival, with tents and caravans, food and drink, music and entertainment, a running race, and much more – that you attend with no clothes on! Nudesfest is the biggest event in the UK Naturist calendar, and is now in its 12th year. What I love about it is that you will find people of all kind there, not just young and fit. After all, you don’t have to be young and fit to enjoy a naturist lifestyle!
Go Topless Day 2019 – USA, August 2019
Go Topless Day started after the arrest of a topless activist Phoenix Feeley in 2005, who was arrested for walking topless in public in New York. As a result, Go Topless was founded in 2007 and attempts to defend women’s constitutional right to be bare-chested in public – just as men can. Go Topless Day encourages women to support gender equality and to march through Manhattan without their tops but with pride (indeed, it is held in August for the Sunday nearest August 26, Women’s Equality Day). I wonder if Instagram moderators are also paying attention???
Burning Man – Black Rock City, Nevada, 25th August – 2nd September 2019
Now, this is a really special one for me! I went to the Burning Man festival twice, and it was on my first time there, that I decided to become a Naked Yoga teacher! There were no barriers, no inhibitions, and no restrictions – just like with yoga practice. Burning Man isn’t strictly a naked event, but the sense of freedom and creativity is so great when you’re there, that you can just lose all inhibitions, including those about being naked in public. It taught me a lot – watch this video if you want to hear the whole story…
And you, how will you be celebrating your body this year?