 |
| Credit |
It’s exhilarating.
But the last big event that I had almost got eclipsed by my trip home. This is not the fault of the event, it’s just that even naked people aren’t that interesting when compared to seeing my family and friends for the first time in months.
 |
| Wait, did she say naked people? Credit |
See, there’s an event that happens every year in Fremont (a neighborhood in Seattle) and helps to give it the wonderful hippie reputation that it has: the Solistice Festival.
The Solstice Festival is made up of a grand parade and festival and it was only that until about ten years ago when a bunch of naked bicyclists crashed the party. More and more joined each year, painting costumes and art scenes on their bodies, until they slowly became accepted and now lead the parade on its way to Gasworks park.
 |
| All despite Comrade Lenin’s stern, disapproving gaze. Credit Letao Tao |
Nominally the cyclists are still crashers. But practically, as long as they avoid lewd conduct, they’re welcomed with open arms. In fact the parade is known more for the cyclists than the elaborate floats and art pieces that make up the rest of it.
 |
| Even if some of those floats are really pretty amazing, Credit |
These days the bulk of the cyclists end up getting painted together at a central location organized by the Solstice Cyclists group. For fifteen bucks they provide a safe, indoor, painting location complete with artists, paint, airbrushers, and the chance to get your pictures professionally done.
 |
| Yes there are professional pictures of me. No you can’t see them. My grandma reads this blog. Credit |
But the best thing the painting party has to offer is the hundred or so other people who are busily painting themselves and everyone around them. And it is incredibly comforting as you strip down to realize that everyone else is also naked and vaguely uncomfortable with it, but also crazy enough to go ahead and wear nothing but paint and some costume items and ride down public streets on a cold and rainy Seattle day.
I had decided that I was going to be Supergirl, mainly because the costume offered a chance for some sort of protection (a skirt and a cape) and wasn’t all that complicated. All I needed was a blue base coat and some red and yellow for the S. My friend (who had the idea to take part in this thing in the first place) and I got there right as the party opened at 7am. Getting there had been a bit of a chore since we were taking her bike and the only real way I have of transporting things in my car is by taking the top down.
 |
|
| And the morning looked something like this. Credit |
We got quite a few strange looks from passerby as we traversed the rain-laden streets of Seattle with my top down and a big ol’ cruiser half-hanging out of it. The only saving grace was that I didn’t have to drag my bike as well, since I had volunteered to pull the photo bike for one of the photographers in the parade.
 |
| Credit |
This was lucky because, since such a large portion of their costume was blue, they had brought an airbrusher to paint the base coat for them. This meant that Angie and I were able to hop right in and get ourselves painted blue right off too- leaving us with less awkward standing around naked time.
 |
| We’re both used to being associated with primary colors. |
I quickly found someone who was willing to paint my S and met the photographer I was supposed to pull, who was a super nice gentleman with a really awesome bike. But with barely forty-five minutes into this four hour paint party Angie and I found ourselves completely painted, photographed and ready to go.
Now, as pretty as we were (Angie had decided to go as a sunny day with clouds… quite the opposite of what the day actually looked like outside), there wasn’t any way that we were going to hang around outside. Not only was it cold and wet, but there were also quite a few creepy photographers lounging around on the sidewalk taking pictures through the bushes whenever someone peaked their head out.
 |
| This cat looks almost as annoyed with the photographer as I was with these bush paparazzi. Credit |
So we made ourselves busy helping other people get painted. Now, at first it’s a little awkward to paint naked people. The first butt I painted (and being that people can’t reach behind them as well that’s usually what you need to help paint) was strange. I sat there the entire time with a little voice shouting in my ear “THIS IS A BUTT. YOU ARE PAINTING A BUTT.”
 |
|
| “CAN’T YOU SEE THAT IT’S A BUTT?!” Credit |
But after your first butt it gets easier. And after awhile you start to stop thinking that this is a person that you’re painting, or a part of a person that you don’t see very often, and start to think of them as a canvas to be colored. You spend more time with the details and start to have fun with the designs.
It helped that everyone was completely normal about it. My usual experience in situations where nudity is allowed (oh my god… it’s hard to believe that I’ve had enough experiences with nudity that I can actually say that) is that they tend to attract creepy older gentlemen who are way too comfortable in their own bodies.
But this paint party didn’t have any elderly creepers trying to strut around and show off. Nope, everyone was just completely involved with the painting, making sure that their design was perfect and that everyone around them who needed help got it. It was just a friendly little party, where everyone acted as if we were fully clothed. In fact, once I was painted I completely forgot that I was, in all actuality, naked.
Time past quicker then, and soon we found ourselves ready to ride out, gathered in the very very cold parking lot outside huddled around our bikes.
 |
| We huddled closely together, partially for warmth and partially to avoid the stupid bush paparazzi. Credit |
Soon we were off, but I quickly realized that I had overestimated my own strength. There was no way I was going to be able to pull the photographer, and here he was hanging on for dear life as I swerved and weaved and tried to pull it together.
After two or three blocks of us trying to make it work he told me to just go ahead. He was quite the gentleman about it, he would walk and skip taking pictures. But I wasn’t having any of it and had to practically force him to get back on his bike and ride it to the parade.
 |
| That’s right. You have to listen to me. I have a funny hat. Credit |
I, meanwhile, put on the sundress I had in my bag and walked back to my car- slowly dropping flakes of paint in my wake as I went.
Was I disappointed that I missed the parade? To be honest, yes, a little. But not as much as I would have expected. I had already done the hardest part. I had stripped down in front of strangers and gotten sprayed blue. I had run around a room with half-naked strangers. I had painted numerous legs, backs and butts. And I had had a blast helping people with their designs and seeing all the really cool, wondrous costumes that people had come up with.
So, next year, when the solstice festival comes around I’ll be ready. And if all that’s left is a rainy ride through the streets of Fremont, I think that’s well within my ability to handle.
Even if it is a lot of butts.
|
| “SO MANY BUTTS!” |