Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Phew. Another SantaCon is in the books.
Saturday's edition of the annual pub crawl/alleged charity fundraiser seemed more subdued around the neighborhood — at least during the early and late afternoon, suggesting the raucous tradition might be gradually improving. (One can hope.) Some people blamed the colder weather for the perceived calm outdoors.
NYPD checkpoints and patrols were strategically stationed throughout the East Village. Officers were spotted at key locations, including Ninth Street and Second Avenue, and Avenue A near Fifth Street. Additional officers stood watch outside crowded bars like Solas on Ninth Street, which always serves as an official "Huge Venue," and Downtown Social, arguably the most congested of them all, yet not an official SantaCon destination.
Several venues listed on the official SantaCon map remained sparsely attended. During the peak afternoon hours, Phoenix, located on 13th Street near Avenue A, had just a few patrons. 10 Degrees was similarly quiet.
One NYPD officer commented on the department's vigilance: "We write hundreds of summonses for this event, all for open containers. We receive complaints every year about this event. We're hoping things go smoothly and there are no incidents."
An alert on the Citizen app at about 9:30 p.m. on Stanton and Orchard had the headline, "Man Slashed by Person Wearing Santa Costume." We haven't heard anything further about this incident.
There also appeared to be more "no Santa" signs up on the doors of local establishments (including a neon "Fuck Off" Santa at Joyface on Avenue C and Seventh Street) that want no part of this SantaShow ...
Though not incident-free, the 2024 edition of SantaCon showed signs of being more manageable than in previous years. For some, that may be a holiday miracle in itself.
