SantaCon 2017 Route Will Start In Midtown, Sources Say

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Brace yourselves, Midtown — the Santas are coming. Inside sources say the James A. Farley Post Office is being eyed as this year's meet-up point for SantaCon — the annual festival in which thousands of Santa Clause impersonators gallivant around New York City in search of booze.

The Santas will begin assembling in Midtown around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, a SantaCon organizer told Patch. At 10:45 a.m. the Santas will take a large group photo, as in past years, and then head out on a Manhattan bar crawl.

The exact route and participating businesses will be announced closer to Dec. 9, SantaCon organizers told Patch. Attendees can check the SantaCon website or follow its official Twitter account for updates.

The James A. Farley Post Office is located on Eighth Avenue between West 33rd and 34th streets. It has not yet been approved by the NYPD as the SantaCon start point, organizers said, but it's their top choice.

This year will mark the second straight year that SantaCon will be confined to Manhattan. Last year's festival started at the Flatiron Building, and was entirely contained within Lower and Midtown Manhattan. The year before that, Santas congregated in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and eventually made their way over to the city.

When SantaCon first arrived in NYC, it earned a bad reputation among some locals for the havoc wrought by belligerent Santas. In recent years, organizers have made efforts to curb bad behavior such as vomiting, littering and fighting. Organizers said they're working closely with the NYPD to keep the 2017 event safe and enjoyable for both Santas and New Yorkers alike.

Participating Santas will need to make a $10 donation to local charities for access to the seven official bar crawl venues. Since 2012, SantaCon has raised more than $200,000 for local charities, organizers wrote on the event's website.

The MTA and New Jersey Transit announced that alcohol bans will be enforced in stations and trains ahead of SantaCon. Any Santas caught boozing on the Long Island Rail Road, Metro North Railroad or New Jersey Transit trains and buses will be likely be kicked off their ride and subject to fines or even arrest.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to clarify that the James A. Farley Post Office has not been officially approved by the city as the starting point for SantaCon 2017.

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