UC–Berkeley Stripped of Nude Parade

A Berkeley, Calif., parade that has long been synonymous with nudity, body paint, and alcohol consumption has been canceled this year because of rising costs and new regulations, the Daily Californian reports.

This September would have marked the 13th annual "How Berkeley Can You Be!?" Parade and Festival, which costs more than $25,000 to organize and produce, says John Solomon, the event's original organizer. This year, Solomon and other parade planners would have needed to budget for increased production costs and decreased alcoholic beverage sales. The city of Berkeley instituted a regulation last year that required all parade-related alcohol consumption to take place inside a beer garden. In the past, spectators were allowed to purchase and consume beer along the parade route. The policy shift led beer sales to drop from $6,000 in 2007 to $1,500 in 2008.

Justin Katz, another veteran parade organizer, says the new regulations—there's another one that prohibits people on floats from throwing candy into the crowd—are ruining the event's spirit of fun. "The things that were really fun and exciting and drew to the event years ago have been whittled away," Katz says. Organizers are hopeful that the parade will be held next year.

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