Editing SantaCon (section)

===New York City===
[[File:Santacon band SSP 2011-12-10 1253 jeh.theora.ogv|thumb|left|In New York City, 2011. <small>(20-second video)</small>]]
In New York City, by far the largest SantaCon venue, the event has been criticized for widespread drunkenness and sporadic violence. At a 2011 [[Community boards of Manhattan|community board]] meeting in [[lower Manhattan]], residents complained that their neighborhood had been "terrorized" by SantaCon participants.<ref name="DNAinfo-12-20-11">{{cite news |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20111220/downtown/drunken-santas-terrorized-lower-manhattan-during-santacon-locals-say |title=Drunken Santas Terrorized Lower Manhattan During SantaCon, Locals Say |date=20 December 2011 |work=DNAInfo New York |access-date=19 December 2014 |last=Shapiro |first=Julie |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219140105/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20111220/downtown/drunken-santas-terrorized-lower-manhattan-during-santacon-locals-say |archive-date=19 December 2014 }}</ref> A December 2014 cover story in the ''[[Village Voice]]'' recounted how SantaCon had evolved from "joyful performance art" that originated in San Francisco to a "reviled bar crawl" of drunken brawling, vandalism, public urination and disorder in New York City and elsewhere, resulting in fierce community resistance and disavowals from the originators of the event.<ref name="Voice – 2014">{{cite news |last1=Hoffman |first1=Meredith |title=Ho, Ho, Bro: How SantaCon Went From Joyful Performance Art to Reviled Bar Crawl |url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2014/12/people-hate-santacon.php |access-date=13 December 2014 |work=The Village Voice |date=9 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141212222348/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2014/12/people-hate-santacon.php |archive-date=12 December 2014 }}</ref><ref name="NY Daily News – 12-9-2017" /> An [[Emergency department|emergency room]] physician tweeted in 2019 that the day is dreaded by ER physicians. Another tweeted  "All the NYC folks will understand my horror at learning that I'm working in the ER during SantaCon this weekend."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/santacon-2019-outrageous-pictures-1477039 |title=SantaCon 2019: Outrageous photos that will make you want to lock your doors forever |last=Crowley |first=James |date=2019-12-14 |website=Newsweek |language=en |access-date=2019-12-14}}</ref>

In an article on the 2011 SantaCon, ''[[Gothamist]]'' called SantaCon an "annual drunken shitshow" that "has steadily devolved from cleverly subversive to barely tolerable to 'time to lock yourself in your apartment for the day.' "<ref name="Gothamist – 2011">{{cite news |url=http://gothamist.com/2011/12/12/its_time_for_santacon_to_stop.php|title=It's Time For SantaCon To Stop |last=Del Signore |first=John |date=12 December 2011 |newspaper=Gothamist |access-date=14 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223005711/http://gothamist.com/2011/12/12/its_time_for_santacon_to_stop.php |archive-date=23 February 2014 }}</ref> The ''[[New York Daily News]]'' reported in 2017 that the event "endures an annual backlash from New Yorkers repulsed by the sight of Santas vomiting or urinating in the street in years past."<ref name="NY Daily News – 12-9-2017" />

During the New York City SantaCon in 2012, participants "left a trail of trouble" through [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan|Hell's Kitchen]], [[midtown Manhattan]], the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]], and [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]].<ref name="DNA-2012">{{cite news|url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121218/hells-kitchen-clinton/drunk-santas-terrorized-city-during-seasonal-rampage-critics-say|title=Drunk Santas Terrorized City During Seasonal Rampage, Critics Say|date=18 December 2012|newspaper=DNAInfo New York|access-date=14 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216192835/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121218/hells-kitchen-clinton/drunk-santas-terrorized-city-during-seasonal-rampage-critics-say|archive-date=16 December 2013 }}</ref> Residents complained revelers vomited and urinated in the street and fought with each other.<ref name="Daily News – 4 December">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/santacon-organizers-work-pols-police-article-1.1537609|title=SantaCon organizers working with politicians, police to turn naughty event nice|last=Tracy|first=Thomas|date=4 December 2013|newspaper=The Daily News|access-date=14 December 2013}}</ref> One source of tension with residents was that most of the revelers come to the event from [[bridge and tunnel|outside the city]].<ref name="Semuels">{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-santacon-divides-new-york-city-20131213,0,836946.story#axzz2nYuKSF7x|title=SantaCon, after last year's rowdy event, divides New York City|last=Semuels|first=Alana|date=13 December 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=15 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="LA TImes 12-14-13">{{cite news | url=http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-santacon-new-york-20131215,0,7757400.story#axzz2nqGE9OUl | title=Annual SantaCon bar crawl a headache for some New Yorkers | work=Los Angeles Times | date=14 December 2013 | access-date=18 December 2013 | author=Semuels, Alana}}</ref>

Official organizers in 2013 described it as "a nonsensical Santa Claus convention that happens once a year for absolutely no reason",<ref name="Time -2013">{{cite magazine | url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/16/naughty-or-nice-santacon-2013-storms-manhattan/ | title=Naughty or Nice? SantaCon 2013 Storms Manhattan | magazine=TIME | date=16 December 2013 | access-date=16 December 2013}}</ref> saying on their website that $60,000 was raised that year for New York charities, and that participants donated about {{convert|6,850|lb}} of canned food to City Harvest.<ref name="Voice – 2014" /><ref name="DNA-2012" /> That year, ''[[The New York Times]]'' described the event as "a daylong bar crawl that begins with good cheer and, for many, inevitably ends in a blurry, booze-soaked haze."<ref name="Times – 12-14-13" />

Drunken behavior in 2013 disrupted parts of [[Manhattan]] and [[Brooklyn]],<ref name="LA TImes 12-14-13"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/santacon-lower-east-side-residents/2073286/ |title=Community Group Urges Lower East Side Bars Not to Serve Naughty Santas in Bar Crawl |work=NBC New York |date=13 December 2013 |first=Ida |last=Siegal }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/14/santacon-bars-alcohol-drunk-disorderly-new-york |title=The dark side of Father Christmas: SantaCon |newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/the-real-reason-why-santa-con-sucks-2013-12 |title=SantaCon Could Be Awesome, But Here's The Core Reason Why It's Atrocious |work=Business Insider }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/santa-clad-men-fight-union-square-article-1.1548553 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216164220/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/santa-clad-men-fight-union-square-article-1.1548553 |archive-date=16 December 2013 |date=15 December 2013 |first=Tina |last=Moore |title=SEE IT: Men in Santa costumes, possibly part of SantaCon, fight near Union Square |website=[[New York Daily News]] }}</ref> and led to calls for the event to be ended and for participant misbehavior to be curbed. The event is monitored and supported by the New York City Police Department.<ref name="Times – 12-14-13">{{cite news|last=Santora|first=Marc|title=Naughty or Nice? Not Everyone Is Jolly About SantaCon Coming to Town|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/nyregion/when-santacon-comes-to-town-cheer-mixes-with-dread.html?_r=0|access-date=14 December 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 December 2013}}</ref><ref name=Times-Gilbert /><ref name="Gothamist – 2011" /><ref name="DailyNews-23 Nov">{{cite news|last=Parascandola|first=Rocco|title=NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly: SantaCon is a 'peaceful event' department supports|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ray-kelly-santacon-nypd-support-article-1.1526638|access-date=14 December 2013|newspaper=The Daily News|date=23 November 2013}}</ref><ref name="Gothamist – 24 Nov 2013">{{cite news |last=Chung |first=Jen |title=Ray Kelly Says NYPD Supports Santacon: 'It Makes New York New York' |url=http://gothamist.com/2013/11/24/ray_kelly_says_nypd_supports_santac.php |access-date=14 December 2013 |newspaper=Gothamist |date=24 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128094312/http://gothamist.com/2013/11/24/ray_kelly_says_nypd_supports_santac.php |archive-date=28 November 2013 }}</ref> But community opposition has increased, as SantaCon evolved into what ''[[The Village Voice]]'' described as "a day-long spectacle of public inebriation somewhere between a low-rent Mardi Gras and a drunken fraternity party."<ref name="Voice – 2014" />[[File:Santa Sale.jpg|thumb|Revelers in New York City in 2008]]An op-ed in ''[[The New York Times]]'' on the eve of the 2013 SantaCon criticized it for "sexism, drunkenness, xenophobia, homophobia and enough incidents of public vomiting and urination to fill an infinite dunk tank," and said it "contributes absolutely zero value – cultural, artistic, aesthetic, diversionary, culinary or political – to its host neighborhood. Quite simply, SantaCon is a parasite."<ref name="Times-Gilbert" />
''[[Business Insider]]'' called the 2013 event a "dreaded annual event where frat house expats" wreak havoc on the city "dressed as the jolly holiday icon."<ref name=Moss>{{cite news|last=Moss|first=Caroline|title=A Bunch of Santas Got into A Violent Brawl on an NYC Street Corner This Weekend|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/santa-brawl-during-santacon-2013-12|access-date=16 December 2013|newspaper=Business Insider|date=16 December 2013}}</ref> An [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]] lieutenant in Hell's Kitchen sent an open letter to local taverns in 2013 which said, "Having thousands of intoxicated partygoers roam the streets urinating, [[litter]]ing, vomiting and vandalizing will not be tolerated in our neighborhood." On the [[Lower East Side]] of Manhattan, residents posted notices telling SantaCon participants to stay away, saying "Alcohol Soaked Father Christmas-themed flash mob not welcome here. Take your body fluids and public intoxication elsewhere."<ref name="Times – 12-14-13"/><ref name="Time -2013"/> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that "some see [SantaCon] as a way for people who live in the suburbs to come to the city and ruin the weekend."<ref name="LA TImes 12-14-13" />

Prior to the 2013 SantaCon, city authorities demanded advance notice of the route of the pub crawl.<ref name="VVoice-2013">{{cite news | url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/12/santacon_lower_east_village_brooklyn.php | title=Like it or Not, SantaCon is Coming to the East Village, Lower East Side & Brooklyn | work=The Village Voice | date=14 December 2013 | access-date=15 December 2013 | author=Stuart, Tessa | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215194348/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/12/santacon_lower_east_village_brooklyn.php | archive-date=15 December 2013 }}</ref> The event was diverted from the Lower East Side and Midtown Manhattan because of complaints by residents, but went through the East Village and parts of Brooklyn as originally planned.<ref name="Channel 4-13 Dec">{{cite news|title=SantaCon Nixes Lower East Side from Route After Complaints|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/SantaCon-Bar-Crawl-Skips-Lower-East-Side-Pressure-Residents-Bars-Ban-235805971.html|access-date=14 December 2013|newspaper=Channel 4 New York|date=13 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="DNA-info-12-14">{{cite news | url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131214/east-village/santacon-sweeps-east-village-up-wake-of-crowded-bars-long-lines | title=SantaCon Takes East Village in Flurry of Crowded Bars and Beer Lines | work=DNAInfo | date=14 December 2013 | access-date=15 December 2013 | author=Goldensohn, Rosa | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215102631/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131214/east-village/santacon-sweeps-east-village-up-wake-of-crowded-bars-long-lines | archive-date=15 December 2013 }}</ref> During the 2013 SantaCon in New York City, the [[Long Island Rail Road]], [[Metro-North Railroad]] and [[New Jersey Transit]] banned alcohol consumption on their trains for 24 hours.<ref name="Times – 12-14-13"/> The 2013 SantaCon was more subdued than previous ones not only due to the alcohol ban on trains, but also an increased police presence, poor weather, and advance coordination with authorities.<ref name="WSJ-12-15-2013"/>
A SantaCon organizer said that the group was "very aware of the backlash" and has sought to curb participant misconduct by the use of "helper elves" along the SantaCon route.<ref name="Times – 12-14-13" /> There were no arrests at the 2013 SantaCon in New York City, and far fewer summonses issued. A more visible police presence and poor weather were credited with the decrease. Complaints of crowds and public drunkenness continued,<ref name="WSJ-12-15-2013">{{cite news | url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304403804579260723282850190 | title=New York City Santas Behaved (Mostly): Snow, Slush and Efforts to Quell the Merriment of SantaCon Didn't Stop the Annual Bar Crawl | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=15 December 2013 | access-date=19 December 2013 | author=James, Will}}</ref> and "the Santas would more or less take over all of the East Village{{snd}} visiting bars that had no affiliation with SantaCon whatsoever, angering patrons of those establishments who had no interest in being caught up in the debauchery."<ref name="Voice – 2014" />
In 2014, community leaders in [[Bushwick, Brooklyn]], banded together to block SantaCon when organizers announced their intent to move the event to that neighborhood. [[Rafael Espinal]], Jr., the city councilman representing Bushwick, urged bars to refrain from participating in the event.<ref name="Gothamist – Espinal – 18 Nov">{{cite news|last1=Fishbein|first1=Rebecca|title=Brooklyn Councilmember Urges Bushwick Bars To Boycott SantaCon|url=http://gothamist.com/2014/11/18/bk_council_member_slams_santificati.php|access-date=13 December 2014|work=Gothamist|date=18 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214093953/http://gothamist.com/2014/11/18/bk_council_member_slams_santificati.php|archive-date=14 December 2014 }}</ref> A "boycott SantaCon" website was launched by other opponents, and bars said that they would refuse entry to SantaCon participants.<ref name="Voice – 2014" /><ref name="Post – 19 Nov">{{cite news|last1=O'Neill|first1=Natalie|title=5 Brooklyn Bars to Boycott 'SantaCon'|url=https://nypost.com/2014/11/19/5-brooklyn-bars-to-boycott-santa-con/|access-date=13 December 2014|work=New York Post|date=19 November 2014}}</ref> The New York City Parks Department refused to issue a permit for use of a local park, leading organizers to cancel plans to have SantaCon in Bushwick.<ref name="DNA – Bushwick cancels">{{Cite news|url = http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141119/bushwick/santacon-will-no-longer-take-place-bushwick-organizers-say|title = SantaCon Will No Longer Take Place in Bushwick, Organizers Say|last = Dai|first = Serena|date = 19 November 2014|work = DNAInfo|access-date = 13 December 2014|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141208141323/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141119/bushwick/santacon-will-no-longer-take-place-bushwick-organizers-say|archive-date = 8 December 2014 }}</ref>

After the withdrawal from Bushwick, and opposition from the [[Manhattan Community Board 3|community board]] representing the [[Lower East Side]]<ref name="Gothamist – 12-10-Siegel"/> and [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan|Hell's Kitchen]],<ref name="DNA – Bushwick cancels"/> the 2014 event was rescheduled for 13 December for 32 bars in [[Midtown Manhattan]].<ref name="WNBC – 12-12">{{cite news|title=New York City SantaCon Bars Revealed, Event to Have "Lowest Possible Impact": Organizers|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/SantaCon-Bars-Revealed-NYC-Midtown-Manhattan-285636661.html|access-date=13 December 2014|work=NBCNewYork.com|publisher=WNBC-TV|date=12 December 2014}}</ref> Event organizers hired [[Norman Siegel]], a civil rights attorney, to defend their rights to express themselves "within the parameters of the First Amendment."<ref name="Gothamist – 12-10-Siegel">{{Cite news|url = http://gothamist.com/2014/12/10/santacon_norman_siegel.php#photo-1|title = SantaCon Hires Famous Civil Rights Lawyer To Defend St. Nicks|last = Del Signore|first = John|date = 10 December 2014|work = Gothamist|access-date = 13 December 2014|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150404145246/http://gothamist.com/2014/12/10/santacon_norman_siegel.php#photo-1|archive-date = 4 April 2015 }}</ref> The 2014 SantaCon coincided with demonstrations in Manhattan against police brutality sparked by the [[Shooting of Michael Brown|Michael Brown]] and [[Death of Eric Garner|Eric Garner]] cases.<ref name="NJCom – 12-13">{{cite news|last1=Kuperinsky|first1=Anne|title=SantaCon 2014 collides with Millions March NYC protest|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2014/12/santacon_2014_collides_with_millions_march_nyc.html|access-date=14 December 2014|work=NJ.com|date=13 December 2014}}</ref>

Police arrested 5 participants and handed out 100 summonses during the 2015 SantaCon, which took place on 12 December. The summonses were for offenses that included carrying an open container, disorderly conduct, and public urination. One participant was arrested for assault, one for possession of a weapon, and three with drug possession.<ref name="NYDN 14 15 Dec">{{cite news|last1=Annese|first1=John|title=NYPD arrest 5, hand out 100 summonses during SantaCon|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/nypd-arrest-5-hand-100-summonses-santacon-article-1.2464938|access-date=15 December 2015|work=NY Daily News|date=14 December 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Santacon Union Square 2016 jeh.jpg|thumb|left|2016]]

In anticipation of the 2016 SantaCon, scheduled for 10 December, [[Metro-North Railroad]] banned alcohol on trains and stations.<ref name="CTPost 12-9-16">{{cite news|last1=Juliano|first1=Frank|title=Metro North bans alcohol for SantaCon|url=http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Metro-North-bans-alcohol-for-SantaCon-10785229.php|access-date=9 December 2016|work=Connecticut Post|date=9 December 2016}}</ref> The event was scheduled to take place in [[Midtown Manhattan]], the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]], and the [[Flatiron District]].<ref name="am New York 8-December">{{cite news|last1=Pereira|first1=Ivan|title=SantaCon aims to stay on nice list this year|url=http://www.amny.com/news/santacon-aims-for-lively-safe-bar-crawl-despite-checkered-past-1.12724755|access-date=9 December 2016|work=am New York|issue=8 December 2016}}</ref> A hundred summonses were handed out by police but there were no arrests. The ''[[New York Daily News]]'' reported that the pub crawl left "a trail of vomit and destruction throughout the East Village" and that one bar was robbed and vandalized by SantaCon participants.<ref name="Daily News -12-12-16">{{cite news|title=SantaCon idiots plunder neighborhood pub during afternoon rampage|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/confidential/santacon-idiots-plunder-neighborhood-pub-afternoon-rampage-article-1.2908351|access-date=14 December 2016|work=NY Daily News|date=12 December 2016}}</ref>

The 2017 New York City SantaCon took place on 9 December.<ref name="NY Daily News – 12-9-2017">{{cite news|last1=Eisinger|first1=Dale W.|last2=McShane|first2=Larry|title=SantaCon has come to (Mid)town as revelers defend dreaded event|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/santacon-mid-town-revelers-defend-dreaded-event-article-1.3687709|access-date=9 December 2017|work=NY Daily News|date=9 December 2017|language=en}}</ref> A stepped-up police presence and 24-hour liquor ban on [[Long Island Rail Road]] trains curbed disorder. Police reported one arrest.<ref name="Newsday 9 Dec 2017">{{cite news|last1=Morales|first1=Mark|title=Cops: 1 arrested during NYC SantaCon|url=https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/santacon-bar-crawl-1.15393748|access-date=10 December 2017|work=Newsday|date=9 December 2017|language=en}}</ref> Two arrests and over 50 summonses were reported in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/photos-videos-the-worst-of-nyc-santacon-2018|title=Photos, Videos: The Worst Of NYC SantaCon 2018|last=Yakas|first=Ben|date=2018-12-10|website=Gothamist|language=en|access-date=2019-12-10}}</ref>
[[File:Two Grinches New York City Santacon 2024.jpg|thumb|250 px|right|''Two Grinches New York City Santacon 2024'']]
The 2019 SantaCon was on 14 Dec. at bars in [[Times Square]], [[Midtown Manhattan|Midtown]], [[Chelsea, Manhattan|Chelsea]] and the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]]. The [[Long Island Rail Road|Long Island Railroad]], [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] and [[NJ Transit|New Jersey Transit]] banned alcohol on trains for the day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/12/14/new-york-santacon-2019/|title=Hundreds of Kris Kringle Lookalikes Hit New York For SantaCon|date=2019-12-14|website=CBSNewYork|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-14}}</ref> A citizens campaign was launched to ban future SantaCons in the city, and plans for "Santa party boats" were disapproved after three New York legislators raised concerns with the marina operator.<ref name=":0" />

The New York City SantaCon website stated that there would be no officially sanctioned New York Santacon event in 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web|title=THERE IS NO OFFICIAL SANTACON IN 2020.|url=https://santacon.nyc/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127213036/https://santacon.nyc/|archive-date=27 November 2020|access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref> The event returned in 2021,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Charles |first=Charline |date=2021-12-08 |title=SantaCon 2021: Everything You Need to Know From Maps to Transit Booze Bans |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/holidays/santacon-2021-everything-you-need-to-know-from-maps-to-transit-booze-bans/3440356/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=NBC New York |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-12 |title=SantaCon returns to NYC in 2021 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2021/12/12/santacon-returns-to-nyc-in-2021/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}}</ref> and 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-10 |title=SantaCon 2022: Thousands descend upon New York City to celebrate the holiday |url=https://abc7ny.com/santacon-nyc-2022-map-of-alcohol-banned-on-mta-drunk-santa/12554704/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=ABC7 New York |language=en}}</ref> and the 25th annual SantaCon took place in December 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bauman |first=Ali |date=2023-12-09 |title=SantaCon takes over Manhattan for 25th annual bar crawl – CBS New York |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/25th-annual-santacon-new-york-city/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |publisher=CBS News |language=en-US}}</ref>