SantaCon is back for in-person binging and bar crawling this Saturday (Dec. 10).
Organizers have released
the official route, which is not too different from last year's edition.
The official festivities begin at 10 a.m. on 40th Street and Broadway. Per the SC website: "Santa is Painting the town Red
We will be dancing in the streets and Santa will unleash a holiday celebration NYC has never imagined possible!"
A $15 "donation" gets your Santa Badge and access to 60-plus participating bars, mainly in Midtown West and East.
This year, eight of the bars are in the East Village:
• Amsterdam Billiards & Bar, 110 E. 11th St. at Fourth Avenue
• Bull McCabe's, 29 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
• Coyote Ugly, 244 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
• Doc Holliday's, 141 Avenue A at Ninth Street
• The Grayson, 16 First Ave. between First Street and Second Street
• Horseshoe Bar/7B, 108 Avenue B at Seventh Street
• The Phoenix, 447 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue
• Solas, 232 E. Ninth St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
However, as we've seen in previous Cons, bars not on the official list are often all too happy to participate, including the 13th Step on Second Avenue.
"Every year we get a lot of press that shines a negative light on SantaCon. I understand and certainly it'll get more clicks." But, she said, some of the coverage felt a little unfair, focused on specific incidents from a decade ago.
"People have all kinds of preconceived notions about what we are and why we do it," Galeani said. "A lot of it stems from bad press that we got a long time ago, and that’s a bummer."
And don't call it a pub crawl!
"It's definitely not a pub crawl because there is no order and you don't have to drink." Many bars, Galeani said, will serve mocktails.
The biggest misunderstanding, of course — the one that goes beyond definitions and logistics — is that folks just don't get SantaCon.
SantaCon is about "community and absurdity and the holiday spirit," said Galeani. She marveled at its ability to take over a place as big as New York City with sheer silliness. It is open to everyone.
Apparently, the MTA didn't get the "it's not a pub crawl" memo. The MTA is banning booze on LIRR and Metro-North Trains and stations for 32 Hours for SantaCon (from 4 a.m. Saturday to noon Sunday).
And as a reminder, the holiday tree lighting is this Sunday (Dec. 11) from 4-5 p.m.
The 31st edition features familiar names: the Carolers of Olde New York from Theater for the New City and music from the Mandel & Lydon Trio ... with refreshments via Veselka and C&B.
