Fremont Solstice Parade - Part 2

Fremont Solstice Parade

The Fremont Solstice Parade happens today.  It's an event in Seattle that's scheduled on a weekend near the summer solstice.  The parade starts with a bike ride where most participants strip naked and paint their bodies.  Today's photos are from the 2019 parade.

Above, a bee.

An orange and a white tiger.  I presume they're together.

British Grenadier Guards.  I think that's supposed to the the Queen in front of them.

More Grenadier Guards.

Captain America seems to either have skates or a skateboard.

A unicyclist is temporarily dismounted

But then he's riding again.

Finally, we have a referee to keep order, and a Red Cross lifeguard to rescue us if the parade proves to be too much.

Fremont Solstice Parade - Part 1b

 Fremont Solstice Parade

Here are some more photos from the 2019 Fremont Solstice Parade.

The annual Fremont Solstice Parade is held on a weekend near the summer solstice.  The parade begins with a bike ride where most of the participants strip naked and paint their bodies.  The guy above is painted in a design like a Piet Mondrian painting.

Not everyone in the bike ride is on a bike.

I take it these are cowboys, from their hats and bandanas, but I'm not sure what their body painting was all about.

This lion is more orange than tawny, but it goes with the mask.

A minimalist costume that seems to have been made out of cock rings.

I think he's a faun.

Covered with rainbow stripes, is he trying to tell us something about his orientation?

Painted-on clothes, always a favorite motif.  Or is this a comic book character that I'm not familiar with?

At the end of the ride, the participants end up in Gas Works Park where they continue to enjoy the day.  Someone must have been playing music, because a bunch of people were dancing, including this guy.

The naked bike ride is only the start of the Fremont Solstice Parade, which includes musicians, dancers, and creative floats.  Interestingly, printed words, signs and logos are banned from the parade.  Motor vehicles are also banned, so the floats have to be carried or pulled by hand.  Although he wasn't part of the naked bike ride, I couldn't resist showing you this guy with his orca.

Fremont Solstice Parade - Part 1a

 Fremont Solstice Parade

The Fremont Solstice Parade happens today.  It's an event in Seattle that's scheduled on a weekend near the summer solstice.  The event was cancelled for the last two years due to COVID, so these photos are from 2019.

The parade begins with a bike ride where most participants strip naked and paint their bodies.  Some very creative body-painting can be seen.  Above, painted clothes are a favorite theme.

This guy is going as a British Grenadier Guard, with a painted-on uniform and fake bearskin hat.

Here's a referee and a guy who just went with artistic handprints.

Some are painted as specific characters, like Deadpool ...

and Captain America.

These guys went as bees.  The guy in front was modest (riders are not required to be naked), but the guy in back is unashamed.

After the ride is done, the riders gather at Gas Works Park.

This body painting is a work of art.  Van Gogh, to be precise.

There's usually a unicyclist or two in the parade.

We'll end with this group that went for a coordinated flower theme.  The end guys are apparently green plants with giant flowers growing from them.  There are three smaller female flowers, plus a bee to the left of them and another insect to the right (the orange guy – a wasp?)  2019 was before the war in the Ukraine, so I think these were meant to be daisies, but I can't help seeing them as Ukrainian sunflowers.

More 2019 Fremont Solstice Parade photos tomorrow.