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Read the press release here.

MAP: SantaCon Will Invade These Manhattan Neighborhoods Saturday

By  Veronika Bondarenko and Julia Bottles | October 24, 2016 6:06pm | Updated on December 9, 2016 2:49pm

 Santas cheer on Pier 84 during SantaCon 2012.
Santas cheer on Pier 84 during SantaCon 2012.
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Flickr/Dave Bledsoe

Get ready for the Santas.

SantaCon, a controversial yearly pub crawl involving roughly 20,000 revelers dressed in Santa and Christmas-themed costumes, has announced its starting location and released the map of its official route.

The Santas will gather at the Flatiron Building pedestrian plaza at West 23rd Street and Broadway starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, according to the event's website.

Then the imbibing Santas will make their way through Midtown, Gramercy, Flatiron and the East Village, hitting up over 45 bars and several strip clubs along the way.

After the kickoff, revelers will watch Twitter or sign up for alerts by texting "follow santacon" to 40404 for information about the next bars.

In addition to the SantaCon bars there will be "Santa Clubs" which revelers can get access to for a $10 charitable donation. Those bars are:

• Slake, 251 W. 30th St., Midtown
• Madison 59 Tavern, 150 W. 30th St., Midtown
• Ainsworth Park, 11 E. 18th St., Flatiron
• 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar, 230 Fifth Ave., Flatiron
• Solas, 232 E. Ninth St., East Village
• Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St., East Village
• Bar 13, 35 E. 13th St., East Village

While the party bills itself as a "charitable" pub crawl, it's had a fraught relationship with people who live in its path over concerns including public urination, death threats and numerous arrests.

In 2013, SantaCon rerouted around Hell's Kitchen after residents begged them to steer clear of their area. In 2014, organizers had to scrap plans to start at the Maria Hernandez Park and later in all of Bushwick after both local residents and businesses got word of the plan.

As in previous years, there will be an alcohol ban on Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road and in train stations the weekend of SantaCon, the MTA announced Wednesday.

This year SantaCon organizers released a statement defending the pub crawl and addressing concerns saying "there is no excuse for inappropriate behavior" and promising that they are working "even more closely with the New York Police Department ensure that the event remains enjoyable for locals and Santas alike."

Last December, New York's SantaCon took to Twitter to brag about the fact that no one associated with their group was arrested in 2015, according to initial reports.