Thousands of Santas and a Splash of Grinches Take Over the Streets for the Annual SantaCon Bar Crawl

NEW YORK—Santa Claus is making his rounds.

On Saturday, thousands of individuals dressed as Kris Kringle and merry Old St. Nick filled streets, sidewalks, and bars from Adelaide to Vancouver for the annual SantaCon charity pub crawls.

In New York City, where the temperature hovered near freezing, the festivities began around 10 a.m. and were expected to continue into the evening.

Santas, alongside those dressed as Grinches, elves, and other holiday figures, meandered from midtown Manhattan to the East Village, transforming the streets into a vibrant sea of Christmas spirit.

“The NYC SantaCon is a charitable, non-commercial, non-political, and delightfully absurd Santa Claus convention that takes place annually to spread joy,” as stated on the organizers’ website.

Participants of SantaCon are encouraged to contribute $15 to gain entry into participating venues, with organizers assuring that the funds will be directed towards charitable causes.

Similar festive drinking events were occurring on Saturday in about 50 cities worldwide, including London, Phoenix, Winnipeg, and San Francisco. Some locations hosted their SantaCons on Friday, the weekend prior, or even late last month, with more events planned throughout December.

The New York City police took to social media to remind attendees that open containers are not allowed on the streets and that obstructing pedestrian and vehicular traffic may result in summons. They also advised those participating in the event to have a designated driver.

Additionally, commuter rail lines in the area prohibited passengers from consuming alcohol on board.