HO-HO-HO HOLD ON!
COVID concerns cancel city’s annual drunken Santa fest
A lot of drunken Santa Clauses won’t be coming to town this year.
SantaCon, the notoriously debauched yuletide-themed Manhattan bar crawl that each year fills city streets, subways and bars with stumbling and stewed St. Nicks, will not go forward this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers confirmed to the Daily News on Thursday.
The annual crimson plague in December, fueled by cigarettes and peppermint schnapps and often held against a backdrop of winter’s first snowfall, endures a yearly backlash from New Yorkers repulsed by the sight of drunken Santas vomiting or urinating in the street.
“Once it became clear that the U.S. was going to be significantly affected by the pandemic, we decided that it would be in the best interest of both the city as well as our Santas to postpone the event for this year,” a rep for the charitable organization told The News in an email on Thanksgiving.
The rep, who refused to give a name and asked only to be identified as “Santa,” said the decision was made months ago, when the country grappled with coronavirus over the summer.
The news that the traditional Christmas bacchanalia — which started in New York City in 1998 and has now replicated in numerous in cities around the country — was canceled began to filter out officially after a cheeky announcement appeared on the SantaCon website.
“All of the reindeer got the ’rona so, the elves have advised Santa to hold off on the in-person merriment. There is no SantaCon in NYC this year,” said the post, with a picture of Santa in bed with a thermometer in his mouth.
Instead of taking to the Big Apple’s streets this December in St. Nick’s scarlet attire, SantaCon organizers have asked yearly participants to stay home instead and donate to a worthy cause like Helping Hearts NYC.
The gift-giving is far more in sync with SantaCon’s original roots, the rep said, nothing that the crawl began initially as an exercise in charity — although in recent years it’s become more synonymous with public lewdness and boisterous imbibing, at least to many who witness it in the Big Apple.
“The first SantaCon in New York was in 1998, when John Law, one of the founders of Burning Man, led 200 Santas caroling up Fifth Ave. in Manhattan, to the delight of passersby. Since then, SantaCon events have been held in over 200 countries worldwide including New York City, which is currently the largest event in the U.S.,” said the event rep.
“While there has almost always been a charitable element to SantaCon, in 2015, SantaCon NYC received an official 501(c)3 designation in order to maximize our charitable giving,” the so-called “Santa” added.
For the small army of Kris Kringles who wish to mark the usually chaotic crawl, SantaCon organizers recommend playing a drinking game from the safe comfort of their own home.
“Put on your SantaCon costume and wear it to Christmas dinner, Santa’s not gonna stop you. Besides, we don’t want to see that creativity gone to waste! Keep the merriness at home and connect for a costumed virtual party,” the organizers said.
One thing is clear, the organizers said: any Santa-bro who breaks the rules will be getting coal for Christmas.
“2020: The year there was no SantaCon. Remain home and stay on the good list! We are all in this together so to keep the spirit alive, we have to socially distance and wear a mask,” a memo to the Santas reads.
“Looking forward to 2021.”