NJ City Urges Cancelation Of 'Santacon' Bar Crawl, Citing COVID Spread

HOBOKEN, NJ — The infamous Hoboken bar crawl called Santacon is scheduled again for this coming Saturday, with at least 10 bars participating and tickets selling for as much as $40.99. And with local COVID numbers rising again, the city is not happy.

In fact, a city spokesperson warned that officials will keep an eye on local bars.

[UPDATE: Hoboken has issued an executive order saying bar crawl particpants must be fully vaccinated. READ MORE: Hey, Santa, Get Vaxed!]

"The Hoboken Police Department will ensure there are appropriate staffing levels to keep Hoboken residents and visitors safe," said city spokesperson Marilyn Baer, "and ABC [Alcoholic Beverage Control Board] investigators will also inspect participating bars and venues."

Baer said, “To be clear, this is not a city sanctioned or sponsored event. Mayor Ravi Bhalla strongly encourages event organizers to cancel and individuals not to participate to help curtail the spread of COVID-19."

Last year, the event promoters officially canceled the event due to virus concerns. The mayor and then-Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante had called it as "potential superspreader event" at the time. READ MORE: Hoboken Says 2020 Santacon 'Potential Superspreader' Is Canceled

In years before that, Ferrante had posted popular updates on Twitter about the event, such as:

But city officials are not laughing.

"The pandemic is not over and we have recently seen an increase of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases," Baer said. "It is unfortunate and frankly irresponsible that the organizers have not canceled the event despite its potential impacts on public health, placing profits over people." READ MORE: Six People Fighting COVID-19 In Hoboken Hospital, Up From Zero

For their part, bars in Hoboken have said that special days, such as St. Patrick's Day, help them earn income to keep them alive through slow times.

Baer warned that the Santas themselves better not be naughty, or...

"If the law is broken," she said, "officers will issue summonses or make arrests, and if participating bars have violations, they will be sanctioned.”

You can sign up to get breaking news alerts in Hoboken and/or get a free daily newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. with local news. Sign up with your zip code here and you'll get an email asking for your preferences.

Get a free 6 a.m. newsletter with news in Hoboken: https://patch.com/subscribe