The decision to move the nude cyclists to the end of the Fremont Solstice Parade caused quite a bit of controversy when it was announced in March, and now, the organizers have decided to bring it back to the beginning of the parade.
“We know there’s been lot of talk and speculation about the [Fremont Arts Council] and the cyclists this year, so let’s set the record straight,” the Fremont Arts Council wrote in a Facebook announcement.
“Last year, the Parade organizers noticed substantial congestion and delay when the cyclists looped due to the number of cyclists on the route. We’ve noticed an increase in cyclists and some congestion in previous years but last year’s delayed the start of the Parade causing a late finish. We decided to try having the cyclists go after the Parade this year so they could loop as much as they wanted without delaying the Parade.”
However, the Solstice Cyclist Volunteers voiced concerns about the change, so they’ve come up with a new plan.
This year’s “stray” cyclist line-up will be from 11:30am to 12:30pm at N. Bowdoin and Leary Ave. (FYI — The strays are considered those who aren’t with the Solstice Cyclist Paint Party at CSR Marine.)
At 12:30pm, the parade route is closed and cleared by Seattle Police. If you’re a cyclists wanting to enter at the beginning of the parade, you’ll have to take an alternate route up either 39th St or the Burke Gilman Trail to get to the start at Bowdoin and Leary.
At 1pm sharp, the Solstice Cyclists will enter the parade at Leary Ave and continue straight through the route to Gas Works Park. There will be no looping this year in order to cut back on congestion.
The Fremont Solstice Parade will then start immediately after Solstice Cyclists pass the start.
The parade will be on Saturday, June 22nd — more info can be found here.
Photo: Fremont Solstice Parade on Facebook
This busted up parade is such a waste of time. And the naked cyclists are gross. They all look like they’ve never stepped foot into a gym. I don’t want to see old fat people on bikes.