SantaCon unleashes its annual drunken sprawl tomorrow morning at 10 at Father Duffy Square, a section of Times Square on Seventh Avenue between 46th Street and 47th Street.
From there, the Santas will fan out to bars across the city, from Times Square and Chelsea to Gramercy Park and Union Square. The East Village will once again have a front-row seat for the red wave of store-bought Santa suits. Nearly a dozen EV bars are listed on the SantaCon website as "SantaCon Charity Venues." Meanwhile, Solas on Ninth Street receives official designation as a "Special Santa Venue."
Other local bars will likely be taking part aside from those listed, including the 13th Step on Second Avenue, which seems to always have the longest line of Santas waiting to enter.
SantaCon was reportedly going to happen aboard several party boats in the Skyport Marina off of 23rd Street on the East River. However, NY Waterway canceled the gig after local elected officials raised concerns.
In a letter signed by City Councilmember Keith Powers, State Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblymember Harvey Epstein: "we have serious concerns about the disruption it is likely to create for those who live in and travel through the area."
Instead, the rest of the city will now bear the brunt of this disruption.
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Here are a few Santa-free bars that I know about so far in the East Village ... please let me know of others... (to repeat: these are bars that are NOT letting in people in Santa costumes)...
-Double Down Saloon, 14 Avenue A
-dba, 41 First Ave.
-Sophie's, 507 E. Fifth St.
-Josie's, 520 E. Sixth St.
-Mona's, 224 Avenue B
-11th Street Bar, 510 E. 11th St.
-The Penny Farthing, 103 Third Ave.
-B-Side, 204 Avenue B
-Lucky, 168 Avenue B
-Drexler's, 9 Avenue A
Albany is seeing $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
ReplyDeleteDrink up kids.
pickpocket the shit out of these drunk rubes!
ReplyDeleteHow would everyone feel about Santacon if these bars gave 100% of proceeds to a local charity?
ReplyDeleteWith few exceptions, would any of us go to these participant bars any other day of the year? Most of them are insufferable 24/7/365. (I'm sure they'll be notably crowded tomorrow)
ReplyDeleteTBH I love Josie's/Sophie's/Mona's but two of those bars are uncomfortably crowded on weekends virtually all the time, too. Anyone looking for a comfy bar on a Saturday is a constant refugee in this city.
At least there's not a Rangers game tomorrow.
"Charity venues", they just know how to keep offending and insulting.
ReplyDeleteI am a longtime resident and fully understand the East Village–specific nightmare that is Santacon, but for the past few years I've spent every Santacon weekend at school in Chelsea. While walking home, I have seen firsthand how this blight has also fully infected the Madison Square Park/Flatiron bar/club environs as well as the outskirts of Gramercy, particularly 3rd Avenue in the upper teens. Violent fights, barfing, urinating, wandering into traffic, mutual public molestations—they've got it all!
ReplyDeleteIt is, frankly, fucking disgusting, but year after year our local media refuses to seriously investigate and report on who is behind this and why it is allowed to continue.
The shit show begins. Yay! Bros and Hos run amok causing destruction wherever they roam. Good times.
ReplyDeleteBring extra coats, scarves, gloves and beanies to Maryhouse on 3rd Street, or St. Joseph House East 1st Street. Then go and party wherever you please.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't go to any East Village bar on a Saturday night — SantaCon or not. It's a terrible time for amateurs.
ReplyDeleteLucky Bar on Avenue B will not be allowing Santas inside. No way Abby would let 'em in.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping it will rain very hard, so that most of the bro's and their ho's are drenched long before the middle of the day.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the 9th precinct is having its annual Christmas Party for the local children - which is wonderful - but I imagine it cuts down substantially on the number of NYPD who can patrol this area on Saturday afternoon.
I am once again disgusted by the idea that this vile display by bridge-and-tunnel alkies gets to defile our neighborhood (or any Manhattan neighborhood). I'd really love to have the home addresses of these people - I wonder how much they'd like some free piss and vomit on their front steps or lawns?
The future of America: Entitled bro's and ho's whose best idea for having fun involves being by 1pm.
In future, I hope some other, better mayor will put the brakes on this disgusting event.
I guess the citizens over by 23rd and East River have more pull than the rest of us, since santa-CON got refused that venue.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad, b/c over there something particularly bad would likely have happened, such as drunken people ending up in the East River. And THAT might have put a definitive end to this shit-show.
PS: I think elected officials who don't oppose santa-CON should have to go out and scrub the streets and sidewalks very early on Sunday morning - might give them a clue.
It is supposed to rain tomorrow perhaps it will help wash away the piss and vomit.
ReplyDeleteCorrection to @10:54am: I meant to say:
ReplyDeleteThe future of America: Entitled bro's and ho's whose best idea for having fun involves being drunk by 1pm.
Meanwhile, cops arrested THREE costumed people in Rockefeller Center for doing pretty much the same thing:
ReplyDeletehttps://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/cops-bust-costumed-characters-rock-center-minions-were-hauling-ass
MAY THEY PUKE THEMSELVES TO DEATH!
ReplyDelete11th St bar has refused the Santa's for years now.
ReplyDeleteThe owner of 11th Street Bar attended the last precinct meeting and made it clear they would not be participating in the Santa con. “No Santa’s, no exceptions” on a FB post on their FB page. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteNot listed -- unofficially and mums the word -- 13th Step, the mothership and motherload headquarters of SatanCon!
ReplyDeleteTo the SatanCon apologista, advocate and self--proclaimed champion of EV bars, yes Sophie's and Mona's are crowded on weekends but, to be honest, they are not filled with obnoxious and immature and repugnant douches and their sorority hangers-on that the your beloved Satancon attracts.
ReplyDeleteTo the santa-CON-friendly bar owners, I say: a pox on all your houses. Maybe chicken pox, maybe monkey pox, maybe whatever you are too cool to have been vaccinated against.
ReplyDeletestupid purge planet garbage
ReplyDelete"Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Steady temperature around 53. Northeast wind 8 to 13 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible."
ReplyDeleteGood.
As a small EV business, this really affects our pre holiday folk art sales. SUCKS. Our neighbors participate in santacon and its gotten worse. Have to hire extra staffing dont want to work alone. Last year my assistant got cursed out for nicely asking a bunch of drunk people to please not crowd in front of door. I would close only we want to be open for the people who do come to shop and cant afford closing. Theres always vomit, cursing, screaming.... Between the drunk and druged men from the shelter and santacon youd think there would be some police presence There are families, kids, lots of older folk and violent, drunk, puking people from another planet. I pray for peace and abundance for all. Weather~ rain and 57 degrees.
ReplyDelete2 gay bars are participating in this s***show. Really? How far we have (n't) come!
ReplyDeleteBREAKING NEWS: Did anyone notice that this year they have cancelled the food donation drive and now will only accept “cold hard cash” They claim its just too hard to pick up the tons of food that are donated every year, so they’re making it “easier” for everyone by just taking cash. If that’s not a giant flaming red flag, I don't know what is. This is from the New York SantaCon charity FAQ page:
ReplyDelete“What happened to the food drive?
It was a pain for Santa to coordinate, and also for our wonderful volunteers who had to pick up 5 tons of food from 20 different locations each year! ‘
Yeah, right. The food drive was such a big success they decided to cancel it. This suspicious looking SantaCon charity angle needs to be investigated, I doubt that most of the bars on the list would want to be involved in a sketchy looking charity drive if that’s what this turns out to be, and a quick review of the SantaCon website leaves me with many more questions than answers. For instance, this is from the SantaCon charity page:
“Where does my $10 go?
Your money will be split between the various charities shown above, as well as local neighborhood charities along Santa’s route.”
Split? Whats the percentage? Where are the amounts from past years? Nowhere on the SantaCon website can I find how all of the “cold hard cash” they collect is allocated between the various charities listed, or any break out how much money these charities have received in past years.
If you look at the list of recipients, one of the “charities” which is set up to feed the hungry spends about 40%, or half a million dollars, of their annual income on salaries and employee benefits. It’s generally a big red flag when so much of the money collected by any “charity” is going to a handful of well paid “hungry people” who also happen to run the charity. Your $10 would probably be better spent by giving it directly to the next homeless person you see on the street.
Also, some of the money donated goes to FigmentNYC. I thought Figment was run by the same people who run SantaCon? So the charity money they collect is going right back to the people who are involved in running SantaCon? That makes no sense. They also list the Dance Parade, an event we all enjoy, but one that is not exactly most people’s the top priority when it comes to urgent local issues like hunger, AIDS and homelessness.
More red flags from the SantaCon charity page:
“I am too paranoid/confused/dumb to donate online.
Elves will be on hand to collect cash donations at the start point, please but do it online (it’s much easier!).”
Of course its easier to give money to an Elf. It’s also impossible to track. How does anyone know where the 10 bucks you gave to some drunk guy dressed as an Elf is actually going? Answer: you don’t! But here’s one way to follow the money:
“How do I get my “Santa Badge”?
Once you’ve donated, you will receive a confirmation from PayPal and an email explaining where and when you can pick up your Badge. Santa will send you special updates about your perks as the event draws near.”
Since PayPal knows how much money is being collected online, perhaps they might want to do an audit to see where the money actually goes. The bottom line is that SantaCon is an event that can generate a large number and amount of cash donations, so the least they should be able do is post an annual update revealing exactly where the money goes. Yet all they seem to do is announce a huge donation number every year without showing anyone the receipts. As the old newsstand tabloid ads used to say, “Enquiring minds want to know.”
The Penny Farthing on Third Ave and 13th is also Santa free. It says so on their webpage. Grieve can you add them to your list. Thanks
ReplyDeleteCash donations will go to Norman Siegel.
ReplyDeleteB-side has always been Santa-free. It's a safe zone if you need one. Good luck tomorrow everyone.
ReplyDeleteNot on the list and one of the shit show bars who dont care about the community. Brings ugly to the hood 2 a year, the green elf day too !
ReplyDeleteWhiskey Town, 29 East 3rd St - They posted this on line.
For those of you celebrating Santacon tomorrow we open at NOON. @jpk3rd @haslito @jules588 will be ready for ya. BRING IT! . . . . #whiskeytown #christmas #hannukah #kwanzaa #eastvillage #santacon #letsgetweird
The whole santacon is so not OK !!
I'm an EV resident.
ReplyDeleteHonestly the entire reason I moved to NYC was for chaos, debauchery, insanity. I have zero interest in participating in this Santa stuff, I think it's lame AF, but didn't any of you guys ever go out to Bleecker or Times Square to see like fights and gang wars? Or does everyone just want to move back to the suburbs? I thought the purpose of this city is that weird and annoying BS happens all the time.
If I wanted everything to be controlled, safe, aligning to my whims, no noisy neighbor, no drunk santa, no sad slap fights, no NYU student puking in the LES on their 21st, I could just live in a cabin in the woods until I died alone and bored out of my goddamn fucking mind.
Let the kids party, even if it's retarded. I seriously wish this city was more obnoxious.
@artsandrules - agreed!
ReplyDeleteLet the kids have a party once in a while. In these times of video games, screen addiction and Twitter outrage, it's good to see actual humans coming together in-person to flirt and laugh and be dumb.
Are they going to cancel Mardi Gras and New Year's next?
Let the poor suburbs kids have a little fun. We get to live here 24/7, they have to make a big trip.
Brian & Artsandrules
DeleteI agree with you guys. Candidly I participated 10 years ago when I was 22. Now it's absolutely not something I would ever participate in. I think it's effectively same as a bar crawl or bachelorette party but obviously a much larger magnitude.
Just my opinion and I can understand how others may disagree.
The (no) santacon sign at craft and carry is also a bar crawl just without Santa outfits
ReplyDeleteEV Grieve - why is 11th Street Bar on the list? They posted a NO SANTAS notification on their FB page
ReplyDeleteTo MrDonna's Meat Party:
ReplyDeleteWhich is why 11th Street Bar is on the list of bars NOT allowing people in with Santa gear.
I didn't move to the city to step over puke by my front door. Nightlife is great but when it comes without respect for fellow humans, any cabin is preferable.
ReplyDelete“ Let the kids party, even if it's retarded.”
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that if any of us went to the little hamlets and villages where these cretins come from and acted the same way, we would all be arrested, People who actually live here all the time are arrested for peaceful protest marches. Can you imagine what would happen to Black Lives Matter, Pro-Immigration or Climate Change marchers in Syosset, Greenwich or Bernardsville? Yet the double standard of entitlement which they all flout and parade through the streets allows this event to happen every year in spite of massive complaints from the community and politicians.
This isn’t a typical street party, which we all enjoy, it’s a planned drunken pogrom that promotes and enables antisocial behavior, all designed to make big profits for the bars that participate in a phony looking charity event. Have you seen the massive police presence that’s deployed for New Years Eve? Why don't we see even an inking of this level of enforcement for SantaCon? Is it perhaps because the cops and their kids are participating too?
The police know where and when this event is happening. yet we usually don’t see them show up until the fights are over and the damage is done. Why don'’t the SantaConners do this bar walk in their own little backwater towns? Precisely because they can come here to behave in socially unacceptable ways that for some mysterious reason won’t get them arrested just like they would back home.
Every single year they leave behind a mess for others to clean up, which shows they do not even care about the place they seem to enjoy partying in the most. Why should we welcome them when they don't seem to care about us at all?
@Giovanni: YES to everything you wrote!
ReplyDeleteI've concluded that a hell of a lot of "officials" in NYC administration must be on the take from this.
@ArtsandRules: Hey, if you really want chaos, go live in Baltimore. You sound very infantile.
@ArtsandRules This is not what NYC is about. Im from here for many decades, still living here because I love the many communities, gardens, parks, hawks, creative people, museums, free shows, diversity, spirituality and lots more. Puking, destructive to themselves and others, violent & entitled people is not what makes NYC great. Every head is its own world, you are entitled to yours.
ReplyDelete@Giovanni TRUE, all of it !
ReplyDeleteI picked up a few bartending shifts on SantaCon a couple of years ago to make extra money. The SantaCon crowd at the bar I worked did not tip well at all. It turned out to be regular Saturday shift $$ with a lot more headaches. Never again.
ReplyDeleteHad to walk my dog in this mess just now and it suuuuuuuucked.
ReplyDeleteGlad the weather worked out and is putting on damper on these Santa Con invaders.
ReplyDeleteSantacon is what happens when parents don't hug their kids.
ReplyDeleteSantacon is a tragic display of mediocrity.