Thousands in costumes revel at toned-down SantaCon
Annual gathering has mushroomed into events in hundreds of cities, with New York’s generally the biggest
Santas came by the thousands, reindeer formed a kick line and oversized elves cavorted with Mrs Clauses as a police helicopter circled overhead.
Welcome to SantaCon, the annual Christmastime costumeparade-meets-pub-crawl that was hoping this year would persuade New York it’s more nice than naughty.
“Look out for your reindeer. Look out for your elves,” organisers advised the crowd as Saturday’s festivities began with a mix of safety messages and psychingup: “Can I get a ‘ho’?!”
Before long, over a thousand costumed revellers were headed off to make merry through Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Jessica Carr and Victoria Pirolli had turned themselves into snow globes, each encasing her head and torso in bubble-umbrellalike plastic, with a foam rubber base around the hips. The two science teachers from New Jersey said they were at their fifth SantaCon for the creativity, not the carousing that earned the event an out-of-control reputation in recent years. Organisers said the event also raises tens of thousands of dollars for charity. “We have fun,” Pirolli said. Tracing its origins to a prankish, anti-consumerist gathering in San Francisco in 1994, SantaCon has mushroomed into events in hundreds of cities, with New York’s generally the biggest.
It’s also drawn criticism, particularly after the 2012 and 2013 celebrations generated two arrests, 85 summonses for disorderly conduct and other offences, and online videos of brawling St Nicks. A spokesman for the New York Police Department said there were no reported arrests on Saturday evening and organisers say there were no arrests or summonses last year.