This year’s Holiday Lights Ride with Wednesday Night Rides was our biggest yet, as more than 750 people signed up to ride! Per John Boyle, our Research Director, radio chatter that night showed the group stretched about a full half mile of streetspace:
We counted three Santas, several elves, a recumbent sleigh, and a Christmas tree in a bakfiets, not to mention all the bikes lit up in celebration.
Wednesday Night Rides also held their first-ever Costume Contest, and the winners are (drumroll)….
Best Group: John S.
Best Adult: Maria S.
Philly Pride: Elly P.
This ride would not have been possible without our more than twenty volunteer marshals, including members of Wednesday Night Rides and youth cyclists from BCYC. If you were there, THANK YOU for bringing your best festive spirit! We are overjoyed to have so much participation in this ride—Holiday Lights has been a hallmark of the Coalition’s programming for years, at its core an essentially Philly experience, eagerly anticipated and fun for both staff and across families in our community—an event that also highlights the strength and visibility of cyclists during a time of reduced daylight and less responsible driving habits. BCGP staff and volunteers worked long hours to make sure this ride was organized and safe, but the cost of labor and insurance for a ride of this size is only possible through the support of our sustaining Members—we thank all of you and invite all who can afford to make a gift of any amount to join us in keeping this ride free and safe!
Shout out also to REI King of Prussia for bringing hot drinks, snacks, give-aways, and technical support on the ride; to Philly Bike Expo and Tern Bicycles for their support; to Councilmember Mark Squilla & the Philadelphia PD; and to Garage Passyunk and 5th Square for making the afterparty great!
You can ride the route using either Ride with GPS or Komoot.
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia leads the movement to make every bicycle ride safe, to empower youth and adults to ride, and to foster a ridership that reflects the diversity of the region. Right now, we are asking 700 folks to join or renew their support for another year—as of today, 450 folks have done so.
If everyone who registered for this ride donated even $5, we would meet that goal today, not only covering the event cost of Holiday Lights, but also our programming elsewhere to build more and better protected lanes, more connected trails, more adults and children learning to ride safely, more youth in more schools on more bicycles, more accessible public transportation, free public resources and other rides just for fun, exploring our city and region. The commitment of 700 members this year is crucial not only to continuing this work, but to building the critical mass of our constituency as action-takers. Please consider making a donation today and we wish you all happy holidays!