What do you get when you add glow sticks, neon lights and 400 cyclists?
Baltimore Bike Party Moonlit Madness, of course.
It’s a monthly event that consistently draws hundreds of cyclists from around the area. The last Friday of every month, cyclists gather at the meeting point starting at 6:30 p.m. By 7 o’clock they’re off on that month’s unique route through Baltimore. After about two hours of riding, it’s time for the after party.
Friday's ride was an unofficial kick off to Light City coming to Baltimore March 28 - April 3. Bike partiers came decked out in neon with glow sticks and flashing lights.
See video above for the entire Moonlit Madness in just four minutes
Baltimore Bike Party started in 2012. The first ride had about 40 cyclists. By October, they grew to 400 riders. Showing riders different parts of the city has been a goal since the beginning.
Kim Lillig is the Baltimore Bike Party’s lead organizer. She started regularly volunteering two years ago.
“We are very intentional every month in planning the route to bring Bike Party love to all parts of Baltimore,” she said. “I love being able to create the opportunity for people to get involved and be exposed to different neighborhoods, different people and different parts of Baltimore that they hadn’t been to before.”
Baltimore Bike Party aims to be creative with the routes and after party locations, not taking riders to the same neighborhoods and bars. Each route is between 8-10 miles long and takes about two hours with a rest in the middle.
At the end of all that riding, it’s time to party. Heavy Seas Brewery is the official beer sponsor and provides beverages after each ride. If biking isn’t your thing, you can just meet up at the after party.
Lillig works to organize every aspect of the ride from the route to the after party to permits and paperwork. She said it can get overwhelming and tedious at times, but thinks that this is a really positive thing for Baltimore, that’s what motivates her to keep going.
“I think everybody has their own motivations,” she said. “From what I’ve heard from my team, which is seven core organizers, I think that they are very excited about what the ride can do for Baltimore and how it is something that’s wholly positive. Especially with the climate that Baltimore is in now, it’s a parade, it’s bringing love, it’s celebrating Baltimore. We all feel that it’s something Baltimore needs right now.”
Baltimore Bike Party is the last Friday of every month. The route, after party location and theme is unique to the ride. Find out more about April’s ride on Facebook.
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