SantaCon back in NYC despite rise of Omicron variant

The 2020 version of the event was cancelled due to Covid

SantaCon, the notorious Christmas-themed bar crawl in New York City, has descended on Manhattan once again, after last year’s iteration was canceled due to Covid.

Even before the worldwide pandemic, the event was notorious in the city, as hordes of red-and-white clad revelers would spend a weekend each year stumbling through the city, vomiting on the street, fighting each other, and in general earning their place on the naughty list.

Now, this year’s renewed events comes as the Omicron variant has been in roughly half of US states. New York had 13 cases of Omicron in the city as of Friday, while the state saw 11,000 new cases of Covid overall on Saturday and 80 new deaths.

“After such a year inside, I’m going to every crawl, every event, I don’t care. I’m getting dressed up for everything,” a woman dressed up as Cindy Lou Who told CBS New York. “At this point, I mean, what can we do? We’re going to enjoy ourselves. Some people might get sick, but we got vaccinated. If you didn’t, you’re taking your chances.”

More than 50 Manhattan bars and other venues are participating in SantaCon this year, where proof of vaccination is required. The event raises hundreds of thousands for charity each year, and gives participants a chance to showcase their creativity as well as party, according to attendees.

“I love celebrating the holidays, and it’s a great way to get all those extra food donations and bring more food to the homeless,” participant Ali Luminescent told NY1. “I’m most excited to see what kind of homemade and beautiful costumes people come up with. I think it’s a really cool opportunity for creativity and for the artistic community to express themselves for a good cause.”

Organisers canceled last year’s event due to the coronavirus.

"All of the reindeer got the ‘rona so, the elves have advised Santa to hold off on the in-person merriment. There is no SantaCon NYC this year," they wrote of the decision in 2020, adding, "Remain home and stay on the good list! We are all in this together so to keep the spirit alive, we have to socially distance and wear a mask. Looking forward to 2021."

Strangely enough, the annual bash has its roots in a piece of Danish performance art from the 1970s. A group of anarchists and free spirits dressed as santas to protest consumerism and inequality, an event that inspired imitations in the US that eventually morphed into today’s roving parties.