The tradition of dressing up as Santa Clause and drinking through dozens of midtown bars has returned after a pandemic cancellation last year. NBC New York’s Myles Miller reports.
What to Know
- The annual bar crawl tradition returns after last year's event was canceled due to the pandemic.
- The festivities kick off at 10 a.m. at the Christmas Spectacular on Broadway and 40th on Saturday.
- The MTA announced that they will be banning alcohol for 32 hours on the Long Island Railroad and the Metro-North Railroad ahead of SantaCon.
This Saturday you might spot hundreds of Santas parading the streets of NYC. Don't panic (or do)- because SantaCon is back!
Boozy Santa Clauses will be making their way to the Big Apple once again for what has become an annual bar crawl tradition -- this after last year's SantaCon was canceled due to the ongoing pandemic.
The event, which the organizers call a "charitable, non-political, nonsensical Santa Claus convention," tends to see thousands of participants dressed as Santa Claus as they go on a massive bar crawl throughout the city. The event has raised up to $750,000 dollars in past years for organizations like Neighbors Together and City Harvest.
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The jolly festivities kick off at 10 a.m. at the Christmas Spectacular on Broadway and 40th.
For those participating, SantaCon's map shows that there are several participating bars in Midtown and the East Village. But, if you would prefer to avoid the event at all costs, steer clear of Midtown East and West as well as the East Village, where the largest concentration of bars will be.
On Wednesday, the MTA announced that they will be banning alcohol for 32 hours on the Long Island Railroad and the Metro-North Railroad ahead of SantaCon. The ban will go into effect at 4 a.m. on Saturday and end at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
Police will be confiscating alcoholic beverages at Penn Station and Grand Central during the ban as well.
MTA Police Chief Joseph McGrann pointed out that this might be the first time that some are back on the trains since the start of the pandemic.
“It is important we do everything we can to maintain orderly travel so that everyone can enjoy their holiday plans by getting to their destinations smoothly and on time," he said in a statement.
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The MTA also reminded riders to wear masks or face coverings for the duration of their trip.
