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Swedish pop star Zara Larsson became the latest celebrity to join Portland’s bike bus movement when she took a joyride through Northeast Portland this weekend.
Sam Balto, or Coach Balto as he’s known in the bike community, put out the call to Larsson on social media last week during Alameda Elementary School’s regular bike bus to school. (A bike bus is when a group of children ride bicycles to school together along a predetermined route, as a way to have safety in numbers, build community, and raise awareness of safe routes to school.)
Larsson, 28, started her Midnight Sun tour at the Crystal Ballroom on Feb. 28. Balto invited her to join the bike bus, as many pop stars have done before, including Justin Timberlake and Benson Boone. “The kids would go absolutely crazy with excitement!” Balto said in his ask.
Larsson replied: “Oh I’ll be there! Check DM.”
Videos from the weekend show Larsson riding through the streets of Northeast Portland at 2 pm on Saturday, Feb. 28, with a gaggle of children on bikes behind her as she sang her new single “Midnight Sun,” the title track of her 2025 album.
“Portland bike bus I love youuuuu,” Larsson posted on TikTok. “Thank you so much for having [me], this was a big moment for me!!!”
Since the ride happened over the weekend, children from about 10 Portland schools were able to participate, according to Balto. After the ride, a group of students asked Larsson to do the viral “Lush Life” TikTok dance with them, which she happily did.
Larsson’s song “Stateside” with PinkPantheress is also trending right now because Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu skated to it at the exhibition gala in Milan, Italy, last week.
There are more than 520 bike bus routes globally and about 295 in the United States, Balto says. Balto is a former Portland Public Schools gym teacher and the co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Bike Bus World (“Tour de Tots,” WW, Nov. 26, 2025). Every time a public figure like Larsson joins a bike bus, Balto notices a spike in messages asking how to start new routes.
“Celebrity participation is a big accelerator,” Balto says via email. “It puts bike bus in front of people who would never see it otherwise because it breaks out of the usual algorithm bubbles.”
