On Saturday, Dec. 12, the streets of Manhattan’s Lower Eastside had “crowds of red-and-white clad partiers” participating in SantaCon, an annual pub crawl that is celebrated in over 350 cities and in 49 countries. On SantaCon NYC’s Facebook page, over 14,000 people signed up to attend. Some bar owners reported over 1,000 Santas and elves who visited their establishments.
There were many Santas at the event who were quite naughty and engaged in very drunk escapades. For example, some Santas mooned passing motorist, others were “passed out in doorways,” some gave lap dances, and of course some urinated right on the street.
Police handed out over 100 summonses and arrested at least 5 individuals. Their crimes included assault, weapons possession, and drug possession. The video below is a local news report on some of the naughtiness that ensued.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-STuV52MUM&w=560&h=315]
The event has a rocky past, with city officials last year calling for “bar and restaurant owners to boycott the event” in an effort to avoid drunken stupidity and any violence. The organizers, however, took efforts in re-branding the event to one that raises money for charity. The organizers began planning for this year’s SantaCon as early as October.
As a result, things went relatively smooth and many New Yorkers are sure to be on Santa’s nice list this year.
For those who do not know, SantaCon is an annual event that began back in 1994 in San Franscico. The first SantaCon was a “boozy, tongue-in-cheek protest against the commercialization of Christmas.” SantaCon was born of a “spontaneous group collaboration” encouraged by its founder John Law, who “made speeches from a street lamp and the group posed as Santas on strike.”
The activism that challenged Christmas consumerism quickly “spiraled away from its origins” into the party atmosphere we see today.
Though there are some who still partake in the events as a “critique of consumerism,” many also participate for “charitable giving.” Then there are so many who go just to get drunk with their friends.
Most SantaCons are an adults-only, twenty-somethings, type of event. Despite the drunken revelry, some people surprisingly bring their children along. There are SantaCons, however, that are just for families. For example, while the adults were having fun in Manhattan, families were enjoying fun in Baby SantaCon on 5th Avenue.
Many major cities held their SantaCon this past weekend, but there are still around 35 cities who will be holding their SantaCons this coming weekend. If you don’t live in one of these cities, but want to join in on this holiday fun, StantaCon.Info encourages you to start your own.
For more news on SantaCon in NYC, watch this news clip:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajYljCK4zos&w=560&h=315]
Featured image from is screenshot from this Youtube video.
