Over 200 cities participated in the 2022 Fancy Women Bike Ride

The Fancy Women Bike Ride is an international event where women dress up in fancy clothes and ride bicycles as a group. The event celebrates World Car Free Day and aims to push cities to create welcoming spaces for women to cycle. This year, on September 18, over 200 cities around the world hosted it.

You can learn more about the program on their official website. Here’s an excerpt from their manifesto:

Every year on World Car Free Day, women will be on the streets with their bikes to show that everyone can ride a bike, and it is even possible to cycle with a fancy dress. Woman’s visibility in urban spaces is key to claim the right to the city. Cycling is a particularly powerful way for women to become visible in the society and a complete new way to interact with the city. Fancy Women Bike Ride is an event for women, organized by women to remember the liberating joy of cycling and to inspire more women to use bicycle in the cities.

The event began in 2013 in Izmir, Turkey, and now it’s grown into an international movement. Several cities in the United States participated this year, including Charlotte, Raleigh, and Tampa in the Southeast.

All of the local events are organized by volunteers. If you wish your town could participate, their official website has contact information to help you get it started. They’re also active on various social media platforms.

Next year’s Fancy Women Bike Ride will be held on September 17, 2023.