Every year, Santas from across the city gather for a day of bar-hopping revelry and good cheer — or, depending on your point of view, to declare war on all that is good and decent, and wreak havoc upon unsuspecting New Yorkers.
This year was no exception, as the sauced-up Santas of SantaCon 2016 marched through the city Saturday, stopping at more than 45 bars and strip clubs along their route through Midtown, Gramercy, Flatiron and the East Village.
As with every year, the event was not without its share of controversy: Anti-SantaCon pranksters posted signs across the East Village declaring the event "cancelled." The MTA banned alcohol on Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road, to deter a boozy bridge-and-tunnel crowd. And two protestors were arrested right as the bar crawl kicked off, according to the Daily News.
But for better or for worse (definitely worse), this year's SantaCon went along mostly as planned, with red-and-white clad partiers joined by elves, reindeer, Grinches and even Christmas trees, marching through the streets of Manhattan, where they took to social media to document the festivities.
Check out some of the sights and sounds of SantaCon below.
Lots of people out participating in #SanTacon and enjoying themselves. We have extra #NYPD officers working today too pic.twitter.com/TujjYgizlX
— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) December 10, 2016
