Photo by Jesson Mata on Unsplash
25th Annual SantaCon Takes Over New York City, But Are Nonprofits Benefitting?
December 11, 2023
The 25th annual SantaCon took over New York City on Saturday, Dec. 9. The yearly bar crawl was reportedly all for a good cause. The organizers encourage participants to donate $15 for free entry into participating venues, which they claim will go to various charitable causes.
In the last decade, organizers have raised over $1.1 million for charity. SantaCon’s website lists City Harvest, HeadCount, and other nonprofits as recipients of money raised through ticket sales.
However, the event’s founder, Stefan Pildes, told Gothamist that much of the money raised from the event goes toward staff, venue contracts, permits for street closures, sound, video, DJs, and vehicles. Pildes claims the event also needs to fund office space and pay accounting and banking fees.
Surprisingly, Pildes confirmed that some charitable funds raised during SantaCon have gone to multiple Burning Man-related art projects and expenses. Less than a fifth of that money has reportedly gone to registered nonprofits.
SantaCon NYC usually invades bars all over midtown Manhattan. Typically, over 50 bars, clubs, and venues participate.
The event typically draws around 30,000 participants throughout the day. The yearly festivities stretched from Times Square to the East Village of New York City. Event organizers created a map where participants can find the various bars and locations where they are taking part. This information was found on their website and social media. The site also has an app with a map, the event’s starting location, participating bars, where to get food, and more.
And to all a good night #SantaconNYC pic.twitter.com/rH7K3ZDzKx
— Santacon NYC (@santacon) December 10, 2023
The New York Post reported that revelers, all dressed like Santa Claus and his elves, flooded the streets of Manhattan. Special guest Michael Bublé helped kick off the day of merriment. The singer, who has several popular Christmas songs such as “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” urged partygoers to be responsible while imbibing.
“Every time we hear one of my songs today, let’s take a shot,” Bublé said. “But please, drink responsibly.”
Similar Christmas-themed takeovers were slated on Saturday in cities across the U.S. and Europe, from San Francisco and Cincinnati to London and Berlin. While the number of revelers in New York City was astounding, it wasn’t the highest number of attendees the event has ever had. That record occurred in 2021, one year after SantaCon was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
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