The three times I attended SantaCon in San Francisco, I had a completely OPPOSITE experience from the overwhelmingly negative things I read about SantaCon online.
That is me in the photo below wearing a costume inspired by Dress Form Christmas trees,
Whether it be in The New York Times or Reddit, people seem to hate on SantaCon. Here are a few examples:
1 It is day-long spectacle of public inebriation somewhere between a low-rent Mardi Gras and a drunken fraternity party.
2 The No 1 problem with SantaCon is that it’s New Year’s Eve, Halloween, and St. Patrick’s Day all in one. It’s a huge, complex, hyped-up thing that turns out to just be an excuse to drink in a really, really crowded environment.
3 SantaCon used to be a kinda fun thing way, way back in the day; now, it’s just a bunch of loud assholes crowding up bars and being drunk as shit in the middle of the day.
4 Imagine if a bunch of people dressed up as a symbol of love and generosity and then got super wasted, threw up everywhere, and had sex in inappropriate places in your hometown?
Although some of the same antics happen for St. Patrick’s day, yet people don’t hate on that event. Maybe it is because the sight of a Santa vomiting or passed out is more horrifying than a person dressed in street clothes.
Most of the negative comments were about SantaCon in NYC – the largest Santa Con in the world. But similar complaints have been made about SantaCon in SF, the second largest SantaCon in the world. It is unfortunate that drunken Santas cause such a spectacle and cast a negative light on the event.
BTW, although the origins of SantaCon began in Denmark in 1974, the current version of SantaCon started in San Francisco in 1994. According to this video by Vox, Santa Con was based on performance art, altruism, community and anti-capitalism.
The “Official” SantaCon events in cities worldwide can be found on this website and most tend to stay true to the original intent of Santa Con. But unfortunately many outside organizations (some are legit some are fake) have created Santa Con themed activities which are purely about capitalism and pub crawls.
In 2024 I became one of the administrators of the SantaConSF Facebook page. I wanted to get involved with showcasing the positive things about the event which are not often featured in the media. Here are five:
1 Charitable: SantaConSF attendees are strongly encouraged to bring a brand new unwrapped gift for a child to the event. The toys are donated to the San Francisco Fireman’s Toy Drive. SantaCon SF is the largest contributor to this Toy Drive, more than any other organization, providing several truckloads of presents. Read more about the toy drive here: https://www.sffirefighterstoys.org
This is Santa Tom (the main person keeping Santa Con going) in front of one of the vintage fire trucks that gets filled to capacity with toys from Santa Con.
2 Economic Impact: SantaCon is a big boost to the local SF economy. Bars, clubs, restaurants, and coffee shops benefit the most. But also hotels, as many people travel from out of the area and out of state to attend SantaCon. Also many locals prefer to stay in the city for the convenience and they do other activities in the city before/after Santa Con.
Others who benefit financially are Lyft/Uber, all forms of public transportation, costume stores and retail establishments, especially the savvy ones that offer a Santa Con promotion. Plus there are many individuals/ businesses who sell tickets for a SantaCon-related service such a motorized cable car to transport people to the pub crawl.
3 Inclusive: SantaCon is FREE which makes it accessible to all. And although the theme is Christmas, it is a secular event and that does not imply the support of any particular religion or doctrine.
All are welcome and in a city as diverse as San Francisco, you do see EVERYONE represented. Politics are left at home (the red hats are Santa hats, not MAGA hats).
Even the costumes are diverse. Not just Santa’s – in every variation you can imagine- but elves, reindeer, Christmas Trees, Gingerbread and even the Grinch Who Stole Christmas is welcomed.
4 Creative Expression: Engaging in activities that allow you to express yourself and feel emotion stimulates the mind and decreases stress. Most people do not have enough outlets to freely express their creativity. Even those whose job is artistic in nature, may find their creativity stifled at times because their project is up for judgment, evaluation or has to bend to meet the needs of a client/budget.
Wearing a costume gives people permission to let their creativity loose, indulge in fantasy, and be playful. This is why Halloween has become just as popular with adults as with children. Santa Con is like Holiday Halloween.
Some people, myself included, prefer to design their own costume instead of buying one. So my creativity flows long before I even arrive at SantaCon. And my company hosts a holiday-themed headdress-making class so people can design a costume headdress to wear with their costume.
5 Socializing is good for the Soul: There are many health benefits associated with socializing with others. And as we saw during Covid, people suffer mentally without social interaction. Prior to the pub crawl (which technically is not part of the official Santa Con), everyone gathers in Union Square.
People are joyfully, mixing and mingling, taking photos, admiring the costumes and listening to the live musical performances. Unlike large gatherings for a sporting event or music festival where the focus is on the team or stage, at SantaCon the focus is on socializing with each other.
Many people use SantaCon as a means to meet with friends and family and kick off the holiday season. It’s free, it’s outside, it’s easily accessible, kid friendly and pet friendly. What’s there not to love?
These are the reasons why I took an active role in SantaConSF which is run by a miniscule group of volunteers – with no operating budget, no grant funding, no city subsidy – nothing.
My company, Mannequin Madness, along with the owner of The Mistletoe BaR are providing the financing for new activities this year to bring even more value to Santa Con participants. It will be a Santa Con weekend which includes:
- Costume Contest with prizes the day before
- Online Photo Contest with prizes the day after
- Souvenir Ornament that includes discounts on drinks at The Misteltoe Bar the day of the event
- Free SantaCon mobile map highlighting SantaCon friendly venues
The photo below is of Brett, the owner of The Mistletoe BaR. All three of his locations ( 2 in Union Square and 1 in the Marina) will be decked out in over the top holiday decor to provide wonderful Instagram worthy photos for the patrons.
I hope this article persuades you to attend SantaConSF this year. Join our Facebook group for more information. If you are not in San Francisco here is where you can find Santa Con’s in other cities around the world.
Visit our website to shop for mannequins and dress forms, rent display pieces, or recycle your old mannequins.
