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SantaCon 2016 is right around the corner and in five days the festivities will kick off worldwide. What exactly is SantaCon, you ask? It’s honestly like a second Halloween, except it’s a lot less scary…and everyone is wearing the same costume.
Traditionally, you get the chance to have your own creation spin on the age-old Santa costume, as well as the opportunity to dress like other Christmas characters and bring them to life in costume form! Of course, you can do this while also getting the luxury of a pub crawl, making it possible to drink the whole merry way through. Still not satisfied? Let’s delve into the history of how these holiday shenanigans got started in the first place!
When Did SantaCon Start?
‘Twas the year of 1994 in San Francisco, California. A time in which a flood of ideas would grace our eternity with many traditions to come, SantaCon being one of them. The idea was actually influenced purely by a Danish anarchist group, Solvognen, who were kind of like a low-key Robin Hood. Solvognen was a group of multiple guys who were dressed up as Santa as they stole things off of store shelves, handing them out as ‘presents’ to the public.
SantaCon was intended to make light of the holiday and apparently this ritual was never meant to reoccur in the first place! The holiday was not as beloved then as it is today. After all, its original inception was coined SantARCHY until it later changed for publicity purposes. It swept the cities of Portland, Seattle, and LA before finally making its way beyond the West Coast. It finally made its way to New York in 1998, when Santa’s sleigh took flight into one of the biggest (and arguably most controversial) holidays of all time.
Obviously, the holiday has evolved into a bunch of people dressing up in the true holiday spirit just to go out to have a grand ole’ time, making it international.
SantaCon may not be your cup of tea but maybe it’s right up your alley. Who knows? All I can say is make sure to embody the holiday spirit and be kind to those around you regardless of your plans this season.
Also, before you grab your mittens and head out to for the holiday pub crawl, if anyone is trying to sell you tickets for SantaCon, it’s a total scam. It is completely free, unless the bouncer asks for an entry fee, got it? Other than that, what’s yours is yours. Happy holidays!
