Grab your red coat and reindeer because SantaCon 2023 will return to SF on Saturday, December 9th, starting at noon. Celebrating its 28th year, SantaCon is hosted in 70+ cities worldwide, most of which are around the US. San Francisco is actually the birthplace of SantaCon when 38 participants dressed up in Santa costumes and rode a party bus around the city, joyfully crashing holiday parties. Now, years later, the event has spread across the U.S., becoming an infamous event around the holiday season.
The event’s goal is to bring together fun-loving Santa enthusiasts and revelers for a holiday bar crawl across SF. SantaCon is free and open to all adults over 21, and we recommend leaving the kids at home (no one needs childhood memories of drunk Santa).
In the holiday spirit, the event asks participants to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to the San Francisco Fire Department Toy Program.
A typical SantaCon features a variety of costumes, from sexy Grinch to classic St. Nick garb. Due to the sheer number of people that flood bars across SF, many businesses post strict “No Santas” signs at their doors in an effort to avoid the locust-like swarm of holly jolly day drinkers. Other businesses embrace the spectacle and welcome the onslaught of Santas, who come to celebrate the holidays with plenty of drinks.
SantaCon will take place on Saturday, December 9th, starting at noon at SF’s Union Square. A “Santa” or similar costume is required for participation. SantaCon has some jolly guidelines in place to ensure everyone has a safe, fun time. Be sure to check out the guidelines before donning your festive gear. If you’re interested in participating, remember the event is entirely free, and no tickets are necessary, so be sure to look out for scams. For more information, you can check out SF’s SantaCon Facebook page made by organizers.
Whether you love it or hate it, SantaCon is going strong for another year. The 2023 SantaCon is Saturday, December 9, and the jolly bar crawlers can meet at Union Square at noon.
Learn more about the event at SantaCon SF.
By Grant MacHamer and Dana Flynn Featured image: SantaCon SF.