Bike Party shows Baltimore spirit

Last Friday night, while most Hopkins students were undoubtedly busy studying or preparing for a sound night’s sleep, they were momentarily interrupted by hundreds of raucous voices yelling “Bike Party!” from the streets outside. This was due to the Baltimore Halloween Brew-Ha-Ha Bike Party, an event in which approximately 1500 bikers braved the cold to bike around Baltimore and yell things while wearing exotic costumes. After the bike ride, the participants gathered to celebrate the occasion with a DJ’d dance party and Halloween catwalk competition, along with an abundance of discounted beer on tap from the Union Craft Brewery. The event was the latest in a series of themed bike parties periodically organized over the past 18 months, growing from a mere 70 participants in April of 2012 to a peak of 1700 this past June. Celebrity participants have included Miss Maryland and the Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

The Editorial Board appreciates the creative novelty of this event and encourages Hopkins students to participate in future installments. Those students who participated in last week’s event not only had fun, but walked away with a deeper connection to the city of Baltimore and its many diverse inhabitants. Since the bike journeys often include free admission to artistic Baltimore locations, participants are introduced to museums and cultural attractions they previously never knew existed. And by passing through areas of town Hopkins students rarely get to explore, often on streets lined with cheering local supporters, the bikers develop connections with their neighbors that foster city unity, pride and togetherness.

Hopkins students at times have an unfortunate tendency to be cooped up in their dorms or the library, never venturing beyond the recognizable borders of the Hop Cops’ patrol. This is a shame because a broad array of eclectic cultural experiences beckon students to explore the city around them — Charm City didn’t get its name for nothing. There are very few places where one can go on a raucous nighttime bike ride with approximately 1500 companions — including the mayor — wearing ridiculous Halloween costumes, but Baltimore is one of those places. The Bike Party offers a unique opportunity for Hopkins students to explore the city they live in, discover its quirks and more fully experience its goofy character. If nothing else, it seems to us like a whole lot of fun.