The gift of SantaCon keeps on giving

This gentleman on East Fourth Street near Second Avenue told EVG contributor Derek Berg today that he picked up the Santa outfit on Saturday ... after a SantaConner had removed it for the evening ...

A SantaCon 2015 postmortem (first of several perhaps) and a look ahead to next year!

[Photo Saturday on St. Mark's Place by Derek Berg]

Because several people asked... the Daily News reports that the NYPD made five arrests and handed out an even 100 summonses — ranging from open container violations to disorderly conduct to public urination — during SantaCon on Saturday.

As for the arrests, "cops charged one reveler with assault, one with weapon possession and three with drug possession."

Meanwhile! The SantaCon organizers issued a statement today... with a look toward 2016 [insert screaming emoji here]

Via Gothamist:

Santacon NYC 2015 was blessed with its best weather yet, a huge turnout and, per NYPD only a few minor disturbances during our event. Beginning in WIlliamsburg's McCarren Park and later transitioning to the East Village, the official route and venues all reported relatively orderly fun and a wealth of positive interactions. Again, Our organization worked in conjunction with the NYPD, Parks Department, city officials as well as several NYC area art collectives. The event has transitioned, becoming a more widely supported expression of the holiday season. A celebration, that invites all to join, if they want to share in the season’s festive spirit.

The Santacon Charity Drive again was a significant success with the participation of over 40 official venues and donations by a vast majority of the santas, elves, reindeer and the many other holiday characters. A full report is forthcoming but all proceeds will go to support City Harvest, Materials for the Arts, Dance Parade and the Ali Forney Center. For 2015, Santacon NYC was gratified by more “balanced” reporting. We understand the "Bad Santa" narrative makes for easy and often funny copy but we are glad that journalists also describe the exceedingly positive spirit and the many creative people who make such an effort every year.

For 2016, Santacon NYC has already reached out to the concerned elected officials inviting any who are truly interested in NYC's creative culture to get involved during the off­season and demonstrate their interest in assisting us...

Before saying goodbye totally to SantaCon 2015, EVG reader David shared this rooftop shot from Saturday... and he was curious what Santa is doing (or receiving) here...





Previously on EV Grieve:
SantaCon announces its path through the East Village for 2015

[Updating] Santa Clauses (and the Easter Bunny) came to town, as you probably noticed

[Updating] Santa Clauses (and the Easter Bunny) came to town, as you probably noticed

A few scenes today from SantaCon in the East Village...

















Above photos by Derek Berg...

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Above photos by EVG contributor Steven...

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To be continued...

12/13

Slum Goddess has photos and videos in a post titled I bring you: The annual nightmare that is SANTACON ... "I dealt with being groped, being told I am a "hottie" and being high fived over and over though I kept saying get away from me, and even lifted off the ground by drunk asshole saints."

9:30 a.m.

Here is Casey Neistat's SantaCon video...



1 p.m.

Several people asked what the sidewalks/streets/shrubbery/etc./ were like this morning.

There were some signs of what had occurred...


[Photo on 1st Avenue by William Klayer]


[Photo outside the Copper Still on 2nd Avenue by Mike]


[Photo off of 3rd Avenue by EVG]

Otherwise, it could have maybe been any other Sunday morning ...


[Photo on 1st Avenue & St. Mark's by EVG]


[Photo on Ave. A & 6th Street by EVG]

... and Det. Dave on 7th put this together with the help of his partner, EV Arrow, outside Black Rose on Avenue A near East Seventh Street...







Think that you got this one...



1:22 p.m.

The Post reports that an off-duty EMT dressed in Santa garb was arrested at the Village Pour House on Third Avenue and East 11th Street for throwing a beer mug at a bartender. The EMT reportedly got into a fight over the bill with the bartender. She was charged with second-degree assault.

4:59 p.m.

The sign outside Elsewhere Espresso on East Sixth Street made Reddit...

The Santa bike gang has arrived...

It's getting dangerous in the East Village. pic.twitter.com/WREU1HUG3H

— Ainsley B (@AinsleyB) December 12, 2015

Arriving on St. Mark's Place...

SantaCon signs of the times

[East 10th Street and 4th Avenue]


[Avenue A and East 11th Street]


[Phebe's, the Bowery and East 4th Street]


[East 10th Street]


[The Bowery and East 4th Street]

SantaCon announces its path through the East Village for 2015

[Photo on 2nd Avenue by @prismpop]

The SantaCon organizers have released the complete schedule/slate for tomorrow's annual charity drive, which does not include anything like a bar crawl.

As previously reported, SantaCon kicks off at McCarren Park at 10 a.m. The do-gooders will then spend several hours in the Williamsburg area taking part in charitable activities ...



...before heading to the East Village and the surrounding area to perform more random acts of kindness...



However, the festivities won't be limited to these above "anchor" establishments... the official SantaCon page includes a list of other bars that will welcome Santas tomorrow. Here is that list for 2 to 8 p.m. via the SantaCon website:

BIG LEE’S SALOON
140 1ST AVE

FINNERTY’S
221 2ND AVE

AMSTERDAM BILLARDS
110 EAST 11TH ST

THE BRAZEN FOX
106 3RD AVE

CAFECITO
185 AVENUE C

ROYALE 157
157 AVENUE C

DURDEN BAR
213 2ND AVE

BAIT & HOOK
231 2ND AVE

THE CONTINENTAL
25 3RD AVE

THE SPOTTED OWL TAVERN
211 AVENUE A

BULL MCCABES
29 SAINT MARKS PL

PROFESSOR THOM’S
219 2ND AVE

CROCODILE LOUNGE
325 E. 14TH ST

DOUBLE DOWN SALOON
14 AVENUE A

PHOENIX BAR
447 E. 13TH ST

LITTLE TOWN NYC
118A EAST 15TH ST

PINK’S BAR & GRILL
242 E. 10TH ST

DOC HOLLIDAY’S
141 AVENUE A

VILLAGE POURHOUSE
64 3RD AVE

VAZAC HORSESHOE BAR
108 AVENUE B

THE BELFRY
222 E. 14TH ST

THIRSTY SCHOLAR
155 2ND AVE

THE CENTRAL BAR
109 E. 9TH ST

COYOTE UGLY
153 1ST AVENUE


[Photo Wednesday by Steven]

Apparently SantaCon will no longer be stopping at any Lower East Side venues.

According to Gothamist, the main organizer of SantaCon lives in the East Village. From an interview published Tuesday with the unnamed person:

I went last year, and I would say people generally got what they wanted. I guess if it’s not your scene, the answer is just avoid it, right?

That’s a great solution. I mean, I don’t go by Madison Square Garden on game nights. I just don’t like that energy. So I know to steer clear of it. I try not to go out in the East Village on a Saturday night. I don’t like that energy. A lot of college students not sure of how to act.

But you could argue that that's sort of the same contingent that—
No but I don’t complain about it! I just don’t go out in that neighborhood during that time. I don’t frequent those venues. I don’t say that they don’t have a right to do it. I don’t like crass commercialism so I don’t go to the Rockefeller tree lighting. I don’t go to Times Square. It’s my choice what I choose to do. I don’t tell anyone they can’t do it.

In a piece on SantaCon the other day, the Times names names here.

Meanwhile, tomorrow, if you want to keep tabs on the action...Fun!

Tomorrow the tweets will be coming hot & heavy (just like Mrs. Claus heh heh). To opt out of the text alerts, reply “STOP” to Santa’s tweet.

— santacon (@santacon) December 12, 2015

Stand out at SantaCon this Saturday by dressing in a polar bear suit

Per a seller on the Lower East Side via Craigslist:

Get the hottest costume for Santacon - a polar bear. Unleash the beast within. This costume is well constructed, warm, and stylish. Wearing this costume, you are guaranteed to grab the attention of the opposite sex. In fact, it's very likely they'll help you take it off. Buy it now!

The costume is clean and was worn once for a holiday event. I paid a lot more than I should have for it, but I couldn't resist. Now it's yours for half the price ($100) and twice the self-control.

The costume is four pieces: The head, the body (with attached gloves), and two feet (the feet have never been worn). It also comes with a convenient carrying bag. Buy it and make this the best Santacon of your goddamn life.

Might be fun to wear to the MulchFest 2016 as well!

Look for the gory details tomorrow on the SantaCon 2015 not-a-pubcrawl route.

Report: SantaCon starts in McCarran Park before heading to the East Village; plus, organizers respond to elected officials

[Photo from 2012 by A. Sasaki]

Busy day on the SantaCon 2015 front.

First! According to DNAinfo, the Santas will first assemble at McCarran Park in Williamsburg Saturday morning at 10. DNAinfo previously quoted a police source saying that the assembled will eventually arrive in the East Village to continue the festivities.

And where exactly here? You'll have a little longer to wait.

Per DNAInfo:

A major portion of this year's SantaCon route will be publicly released Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, said civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, hired last year as the event's liaison with government agencies and the press.

Meanwhile! SantaCon organizers and Siegel responded to the letter made public yesterday by 12 local elected officials.

You may read their response right here...

Santa Con Response to State Senator 120715

Politicos still calling on SantaCon to adopt good-neighbor principles

[SantaCon 2013 via EVG reader Steven]

Via the EVG inbox...

Today, State Senator Brad Hoylman, along with City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Senators Adriano Espaillat, Liz Krueger and Daniel Squadron, Assembly Members Deborah Glick, Richard Gottfried and Linda Rosenthal, and Council Members Daniel Garodnick, Corey Johnson and Rosie Mendez sent letters to SantaCon and the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) calling for greater oversight and accountability in an effort to rein in the annual pub crawl.

The coalition of lawmakers, building on similar efforts in 2013 and 2014, proposed a set of guiding principles for SantaCon’s organizers, including better coordination with officials, greater accountability on the part of the organizers, and stronger efforts to mitigate risks to pedestrians. SantaCon, an annual bar-crawl that draws thousands of participants dressed as Santa Claus, regularly draws the ire of local residents and law enforcement for its disruptive effect on local communities as well as its perceived threat to public safety.

"SantaCon needs to grow up," said State Senator Brad Hoylman. "An organization that brings over 25,000 people to our neighborhoods should show us respect by sharing its routes with community boards and local elected officials and working together with us well in advance to determine how we can mitigate the negative impacts of this bar crawl on our local communities and small retail businesses, whose annual sales depend heavily on this time of year."

The local officials also reached out to SLA Chairman Vincent G. Bradley, urging the agency to take a “proactive approach” to this year’s event by reminding participating licensees to be mindful of potential violations and committing additional inspectors along the route to ensure adherence to local regulations.

###

To Whom It May Concern:

For a third year, we write to express our concerns regarding the annual SantaCon bar crawl and the negative impact it has on the residential communities where it takes place. Each holiday season, local elected officials, community boards and local precincts face a wave of complaints as the SantaCon bar crawl passes through their neighborhoods.This year, we are again hoping to take preemptive action.

We appreciate that the SantaCon bar crawl can provide additional short-term sales to a small group of local business establishments. However, we also recognize that the event’s many adverse effects significantly disrupt the quality of life of entire communities. While the SantaCon bar crawl has pledged to take proactive steps in the past, the organization’s efforts have not mitigated the bulk of the event’s deleterious impact. There is still more that can and must be done to ensure that the event is positive and safe.

Previously, we requested that the SantaCon bar crawl adhere to a set of common-sense principles. We urge you to agree to a similar set of guidelines this year in anticipation of the event’s 2015 iteration. The three principles are as follows:

• Share defined routes with the community – The SantaCon bar crawl’s path often comes as an unwelcome and last minute surprise to community members, the NYPD, and local businesses. We ask that the SantaCon bar crawl make its routes and timetable publicly available far in advance in order to give all of these stakeholders time to adequately plan for the arrival of SantaCon bar crawl participants.
• Ensure responsible participant behavior – While the police can certainly play a role in ensuring SantaCon bar crawl participants abide by laws regarding public intoxication and urination and overly aggressive behavior, the NYPD is responsible for serving the public at large rather than providing security for a private event. The SantaCon bar crawl’s organizers must make a concerted effort to self-police at establishments along the route and should expel overly intoxicated and badly-behaving participants.
• Mitigate pedestrian safety risks – The Santacon bar crawl’s participants often overwhelm sidewalks that were designed to accommodate smaller crowds, posing serious safety concerns for participants and other pedestrians. The SantaCon bar crawl should identify opportunities to reduce these risks. For example, staff members or trained volunteers can be present along the route to ensure the free-flow of pedestrian travel and to prevent individuals from walking into busy vehicular traffic.

With the date of the event rapidly approaching, we urge the SantaCon bar crawl to act swiftly to adopt these guidelines and make its programmatic and safety plans public.

To date, the SantaCon route has been shrouded in secrecy. DNAinfo reported that the event to take place this Saturday will start in Bushwick, and wind up in the East Village.

Previously on EV Grieve:
SantaCon 2015 set for Dec. 12 in NYC, says SantaCon

Local politicians call on SantaCon 'to adopt good-neighbor principles'

SantaCon 2015 set for Dec. 12 in NYC, says SantaCon

SantaCon organizers tweeted out the date last evening... and per the SC website...



To date, at least one local bar has gone on the record as ready to welcome the Santas...

Noted

Perhaps it's time to start thinking about the annual gathering of drunken revelers in costumes.

No, not Halloween...

Multiple EVG readers have passed along photos of the "We love SantaCon!" poster on the front door of the Continental, Third Avenue at St. Mark's Place...



Per the sign, first noted here, the Continental will open at 11 a.m. on the day of SantaCon.

So far, there hasn't been any official announcement about a date or location for the annual gathering of [______________].

But the organizers have already started priming the pump, or whatever…