Holiday Cheer Returns To NYC Ahead Of SantaCon, 311 Data Shows

NEW YORK CITY — Call it Santarchy — the time of year when New York City's bars fill with extra holiday cheer.

And like its ultimate expression — SantaCon — it's back after being reined in by the coronavirus pandemic, at least according to 311 complaint data.

New Yorkers' noise complaints about bars and restaurants so far this holiday season are about equal to all of 2019's post-Thanksgiving, pre-SantaCon gripes, data shows.

But as much as New York City's boozy days are back, things as still different this year, especially with the omicron variant spreading in New York City. SantaCon's return Dec. 11 comes with a new COVID-era rule.

"Don’t F*** with NYC Vax Requirements," its website states.

The pandemic gave New York City's bars and restaurants many early silent nights last holiday season.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo imposed curfews and reinstated an indoor dining ban as COVID-19 cases surged after Thanksgiving 2020.

SantaCon organizers took the step of canceling their annual boozefest, usually held on the second Saturday in December.

The restrictions and worries quieted complaints about rowdy bars and restaurants.

During the post-Thanksgiving, pre-would-have-been-SantaCon span last year, 311 noise complaints about those establishments fell 33 percent, data shows.

Those complaints by year were:

Believe it or not, the day of SantaCon — an event widely loathed by Grinches across the city — itself doesn't appear to have spike in 311 complaints.

Patch reviewed 311 data for SantaCons going back to 2017 and found no significant differences in complaints that day compared to other Saturdays.

Take urinating in public, for example.

Just one New Yorker complained about public urination during the day of SantaCon 2018, according to 311 data. The Saturday before, there were three complaints about people relieving themselves in public.