Nude Recreation Week

2018 Nude Recreation Week

primarily observed in the USA

July 9 – 15, 2018

It’s that time once again, Nude Recreation Week! It is a co-sponsored effort between The Naturist Society (TNS) and the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR). It is held annually during the month of July in order for the observance to coincide with the National Recreation and Park Association’s (NRPA) celebration of July as Parks and Recreation month. The AANR is a member of NRPA. This is also the month that Americans usually vacation and travel, away from their jobs.

Nude Recreation Week isn’t traditionally marked by any presidential proclamation or government recognition and is primarily known throughout the community of bare practitioners. However, the recent widespread use of social media among all persons, both the nude and the nudity-challenged, has helped to raise awareness of this event.

The concept of Nude Recreation Week, aside from its inclusion of the NRPA “July Is Parks and Recreation” month campaign was largely oriented towards commercial gain. It was initiated by nude travel destinations as a tool to promote their businesses, such as resorts, nude campgrounds, clothing optional lakes and pools and other related concerns. As evidence of the moderate success of this initiative, bare advocacy groups took notice.

TNS and AANR came forward and proposed the inclusion of their respective organizations, as well as other nudity-friendly interests and businesses, and further developed and enhanced the Nude Recreation Week concept. This resulted in the marketing and promotional strategies that currently exist.

One of the recent modifications to the original Nude Recreation Week campaign is the Guinness Book Of Records distinction for skinny-dipping participation. TNS and AANR have jointly attempted to better the attendance records for the “World’s Largest Skinny-Dipping” event. The efforts have been admirable but haven’t succeeded in securing the world’s title. Part of this is to blame on the weather. The severity and frequency of thunderstorms during this season of the year have forced the cancellation of many of the scheduled competitions.

All of us know that skinny-dipping isn’t the only nude activity that is enjoyed during the summer season or even during Nude Recreation Week. Practically anything that can be done for fun and relaxation while wearing clothes is also able to be performed while without clothes. Skinny-dipping just happens to be one that is very well-known and popular this season of the year. Gaining in popularity every year is bare bike riding, thanks to the notoriety of the World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR).

Now we all know that active leisure isn’t the only form of recreation. Passive games such as board (tabletop) games, cards, skill games are also popular and sometimes preferable during the summer heat. Puzzles and reading are other examples and these don’t require a certain number of players. Other leisure activities involve handicrafts (knitting, woodworking, etc.), interests (photography, writing, etc.) and various arts disciplines (painting, drawing, sculpting, etc.) and including being a model (whether the artist you’re posing for is bare or not).

Cooking, auto repair and rebuilding, re-modelling a home are samples of leisure or recreation past-times. The list is endless and examples too numerous to all list here. These examples are merely to afford enough ideas that virtually everything is possible during Nude Recreation Week. Anytime that we’re clothes-free during this week, we’re all commemorating this week-long event.

Social nudity (being bare in a group) is perhaps the most common form of celebrating our nakedness. There are, either by choice or by circumstance, those who experience their clothes-freedom alone. There’s nothing wrong with this practice. Personally, my philosophy is always that we should be true to ourselves. If any of us is in a situation where it just isn’t possible to be nude with others, then solo nudity is preferable to suffering in clothing. It is better for us to support others in whatever situation they’re in rather than judge.

With the unlimited number of opportunities available during Nude Recreation Week, from social nude situations to reading a book, alone, while bare, there’s something for all of us to do while clothes-free. Remove your clothing and discover the endless possibilities!

“Truth is, most of us contain a splashing , giggling, squealing child inside us who knows without thinking that bare skin and water go together as wings go with air, roots with earth and the phoenix with the incendiary sun.” ~ Unknown ~

Happy Nude Recreation Week! 

Naked hugs!

Roger/ReNude Pride