[
EVG reader photo from Thursday]
As we first noted on Thursday, someone placed flyers around the neighborhood noting that SantaCon,
scheduled for today, has been cancelled... which means, according to the sign:
• NO congregating in Santa costumes
• NO throwing up on the sides of buildings
• NO public sex acts
• NO excessive drunkenness
A member of NYCR, the group who posted the flyers,
told Gothamist yesterday that they reached out to SantaCon organizers to call off the event.
"Our country feels so divided right now that we are all searching for things that unify us," their spokesperson said. "The one thing that I have found that we all have in common is our disdain for SantaCon. Over the past few years myself and others have witnessed several horrible acts ..."
"We have reached out to organizers and asked them to cancel but have not heard back," they continued. "We hope they will come to their senses. We hope the organizers hear us loud and clear and are aware that we will be out in force tomorrow to stop SantaCon if they don't cancel."
They add that anyone interested in spending their Saturday aiding their crusade should meet up at noon Saturday at Bar 13. "We want to make it clear to the young people out there that this is not just a bunch of 40 and 50 year olds and we have several people under the age of 35 planning on participating."
Other media outlets reported on the story as well.
Gary Egan, general manager of Pete’s Tavern on Irving Place told
CBS 2 that he would be cool with seeing SantaCon go.
“I really wish it would be canceled,” Egan said. “It’s turned into an abomination of drunk Santa Clauses fighting; vomiting all over the city. and it sends a terrible message to children.”
CBS 2 also talked with one SantaCon fan.
“SantaCon canceled – what? What?” said Zavier Dahlbenza of East New York, Brooklyn. “The drunkenness, the Santa costumes — I love all of it! I don’t think it should be canceled at all. I think it should keep going.”
There is also a Boycott SantaCon
Twitter account (not sure if this is affiliated with the group who created the posters. This account started in 2014.)
Anyway, SantaCon organizers had to reassure people that the Con was still on...
SantaCon starts today at 10.
At least 18 bars are participating in the East Village.
Lastly, a word from the 9th Precinct...
