SantaCon To Emerge From Pandemic Stupor On December 11th

[Update Below On This Year's SantaCon Route] Everything was pretty horrible in 2020, but at least we were gifted a reprieve from the annual tradition of having to avoid the vomitous path of drunk bros in Santa costumes trying to relive their undergraduate glory days. But now that the city has reopened, so too have the binge-drinking floodgates: SantaCon NYC 2021 is scheduled to happen on December 11th.

As usual, most of the major details about the event—where the event is kicking off, which bars you'll want to avoid at all cost that day—won't be revealed until much closer to the date. What we do know: You have to give a $13 donation to get your Santa Badge, which gives you access to all the official SantaCon NYC venues. There are more details here if you are someone who is genuinely interested in learning more.

To their credit, the organizers of SantaCon are well aware of the its less-than-stellar reputation among New Yorkers, and they've attempted to curtail the worst behavior with rules and PSAs urging participants to not start fights, not bring open containers of alcohol, not try to use fake IDs or Vax cards, and to avoid "a crappy, trashy or Grinch-like attitude." And last year, when the event was off, they still encouraged Santas to donate to charity, even with no promise of public intoxication as a reward.

Having said that, you can only put so much lipstick on a pig that's completely passed out in a puddle on the floor of Penn Station. Overgrown frat guys who have been cooped up for much of the last 20 months may be looking to make up for lost time—and in case you've forgotten, even under optimal circumstances, that still involves quite a number of fistfights and unfortunate public incidents. At the end of the day, most New Yorkers just want to traverse the city without someone drunkenly stumbling into them and smashing their face into the sidewalk.

As obnoxious as SantaCon NYC can be, it's still nothing compared to the sleighshow that is SantaCon Hoboken, where dozens of people are arrested or ticketed every year. Be warned: that event is scheduled to take place a week after the NYC one on December 18th.

[Update] Organizers have now released the list of participating bars for this year's SantaCon. The festivities will kick off at 10 a.m. on December 11th at 40th Street and Broadway. Most of the bars are located in Midtown East and West, though there are a few in the East Village. You can go to the official website here to get a more detailed look at the cursed places you'll want to avoid this weekend.