HOLIDAY HAPPENING
SantaCON set to return for 10th year on Dec. 18
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Saratoga SantaCON is returning for its 10th year, with a goal of setting the world record for the largest scavenger hunt.
The event, set to begin at noon on Saturday, Dec. 18 in downtown Saratoga Springs, is billed as the Capital District’s biggest pub crawl.
In 2019, the last time Saratoga SantaCON was held, approximately 2,600 people attended — most wearing red Santa suits or other festive attire.
This time around, organizers are adding a 10th anniversary twist by making the event a scavenger hunt that includes all the participating locations with photo tasks, trivia and hidden QR codes. All of the tasks will have point values and the player with the most points will take home $1,000 in cash.
Furthermore, the Saratoga SantaCON community will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for hosting the largest scavenger hunt on Earth. This distinction is currently held by Ottawa, Canada with 2,732 participants in 2017.
With a few hundred people already pre-registered, “We could crush this record,” said organizer Brian Miller, who has managed the festival for the past several years.
Eventgoers typically hail from throughout the Capital Region and beyond, with some registrants traveling from Vermont, Massachusetts and other areas of New York state.
More than a dozen downtown establishments are participating in this year’s pub crawl, and each will offer $4 Labatt Blue, Blue Light and Blue Light Seltzer specials or $5 Tito’s Handmade Vodka cocktails during the time frame of their stop.
Following the pub crawl, a Saratoga SantaCON after-party is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. at Putnam Place, featuring live music by Hilltop and Hartley’s Encore.
The most important part of Saratoga SantaCON, however, is its contribution to the community. Since its inception in 2010, the event has supported Franklin Community Center, a Saratoga Springs-based nonprofit organization provides basic necessities and services to less fortunate individuals in the area. In addition to buying a ticket, each Sara
toga SantaCON attendee is asked to bring five non-perishable food items.
All food donations and funds raised through ticket sales will go directly to Franklin Community Center.
“As a nonprofit agency, we rely on the generosity of others to help support our programs and services,” Franklin Community Center’s development director Mary Beth McGarrahan said. “SantaCon not only benefits our organization with products for our Food Pantry and monetary donations, but also helps to promote the City of Saratoga Springs as an inviting and welcome community — we are grateful to be the beneficiary of this awesome event. And we are excited to have the scavenger hunt as part of the event this year and I am keeping my fingers crossed that SantaCon can break the world record!”
More information about Saratoga SantaCON 2021 can be found online at www.facebook.com/SantaconSaratoga and @Saratogasanta on Instagram.
Saratoga SantaCON tickets, which cost $10 each, are available for purchase online at https://www. eventbrite.com/e/saratoga-santacon-2021-registration-213371980337?aff= ebdssbeac.
Anyone interested in learning more about Franklin Community Center and its programs can visit www.franklincommunitycenter.org for more information.