World Naked Bike Ride Returns to Milwaukee
'Bare as you dare' event will roll into town for sixth year.
World Naked Bike Ride 2026 flyer. Image from event Facebook page.
One of Milwaukee’s most polarizing events is set to return next month.
The Milwaukee installment of the World Naked Bike Ride is scheduled for June 27.
The clothing-optional organized bike ride is technically a First Amendment protest. Using the unofficial tagline of “less gas, more ass,” the event is described as “a protest against oil dependence, anti-bike infrastructure, sexualization of bodies and body disempowerment.”
The event regularly draws more than 100 participants, but the sixth annual installment will happen amid surging oil prices and the United States’ bombing of Iran.
The 2026 ride is scheduled to start from Magic Box and Brother’s Studio, 600 S. 5th St., and Catrina Cafe, 606 S. 5th St., according to a newly released poster that spells both business names incorrectly. A “protestival” with live music and vendors will begin at noon.
The route, to be released closer to the event, will be a 12- to 15-mile loop. Organizers expect to complete the loop at a “slow” pace in about two hours.
Participants do not need to ride a bike, but they cannot use a gas-powered vehicle.
Despite attempts by a handful of Wisconsin Republican lawmakers to create new laws to shield minors, nudity as a form of protest is legally protected. Lewd behavior, however, is not. Minors, according to the event website, are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and on-site security will assist the Milwaukee Police Department in stopping any lewd behavior at the event.
The ride is free to attend, though donations are encouraged for the volunteer-led event.
Ironically, a T-shirt is available to commemorate your attendance at the event.
If biking is your game but speed, not streaking, is your thing, there is another biking event taking place that same day, on June 27. You can attend the Tour of America’s Dairyland Cafe Hollander Otto Wenz Downer Classic pro-am races on the Upper East Side.
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