SantaCon returns to SF, soggy but spirited

SAN FRANCISCO – There was a ho-ho-whole lot of festive fun to be had in San Francisco on Saturday morning as the annual SantaCon bar crawl got underway, though some unusual accessories were being adorned by many participants.

A sea of ponchos and umbrellas covered up many of the Christmas costumes on display across the city, as rain spluttered down on the hundreds of people who had gathered for the holiday event, which also serves as a toy drive. Union Square, the starting point for the official proceedings, was a lot quieter than normal, with most of the crowds seeming to head straight for the indoors amidst the day’s Category 2 storm.

Nearly an inch of rain was forecasted for the city between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., along with winds of nearly 20 mph, and while it dampened some red hats, it didn’t seem to have any effect on people’s spirits.

“It’s so much fun and everybody is happy. A group of nearly 20 of us come every year. I’ve met a lot of really good friends through SantaCon,” said Vince Garcia, a Sonoma resident who has attended the event for the past 10 years.

Garcia and his friends gathered at Union Square before 12 p.m., when the crawl was due to kick off. “This is the least amount of people I’ve ever seen, which is probably down to the rain. Usually it’s packed at Union Square but the bars do seem to be full already. Some people say that could cause issues but I’ve never seen any issues through the years.”

SantaCon is an international event that originated in San Francisco 27 years ago when, inspired by a 1974 Danish protest, a group of around 30 people decided to dress up as Kris Kringles and descend on a local bar.

Year after year the event grew and the gathering now takes place in over 380 cities worldwide, from Berlin and London to Hanoi. It’s become a highly anticipated day out for many bauble-clad Bay Area residents, with an estimated 17,000 people participating in 2018.

The rules are simple: have fun, support some local bars, and don’t skimp out on the costume.

Tom DiBell, known as Santa Tom, has been running SantaCon San Francisco for 20 years and has always urged participants to go all out for the festivities.

“There is a dress code. A lot of folks come to SantaCon in a hat but that is not acceptable. This is a costume party,” DiBelle said in an interview.

“We’ve seen everything from Santa and Mrs. Claus, to elves, Christmas trees and menorahs,” DiBelle added. “One year we had a guy who had the makeup artist from The Grinch movie do him up with prosthetics.”

DiBell took a break from organizing the event in 2020, when he urged people to stay home amidst the pandemic. However, things came back with a bang last year, and he anticipated that the numbers would be high again this weekend — despite the rain.

“Over 8,500 people signed up for this year’s SantaCon through the 2022 Facebook page. If even half of them show then that’s over 4,000 people,” DiBelle said on Saturday morning.

“I’ve seen a couple of rainy SantaCons and we still ended up with a few thousand people. Last year was the first year back after the pandemic and we still had over 9,000. I’m fully expecting a big crowd again this year.”

Travel issues

A large number of people were expected to travel into San Francisco from other parts of the Bay Area for the day, which may have proved difficult due to Caltrain’s current schedule.

The company has been running a reduced number of trains to facilitate its electrification process in recent weeks, and passengers traveling this weekend will need to take a bus between the areas of Belmont and Mountain View.

The last southbound train will also depart San Francisco Station at the earlier time of 9:22pm on Saturday night.

“Plan for additional travel time of 60 to 90 minutes due to the bus bridge, especially if you plan to attend upcoming events,” Caltrain said on its website.

There were also delays on BART early in the morning due to the weather.

Chaos

After dropping off gifts for the San Francisco Firefighters Toy Drive at noon, the soggy attendees who did make it quickly scattered to enjoy a day of drinking, singing, and general merriment in various locations around the city.

The activity can cause headaches for local businesses, however, with staff often having to deal with disorderly participants as the day goes on.

“People go off to taverns and pubs and drink until they can’t walk. Over the years it has gone from a mere little party to chaos,” said Dibell.

“Pictures have been taken of Santas throwing up on sidewalks; there have been fights; a few years ago two women got very drunk and threw a chair through a window at a local restaurant.

“Things like that have given a black eye to SantaCon, and I’m trying to get rid of those black eyes. We have the toy drive, and we’re trying to put some community good back into it. I hope we can point it back in the right direction.”

While some businesses touted “No Santas” signs on their windows on Saturday, others welcomed the jolly drinkers.

“We have been proudly welcoming and serving SantaCon participants for years. They’re always a fun crowd,” said Fernando Coellar, owner of The Pink Elephant Alibi on Minna St.

“My friends and I used to be SantaCon participants ourselves. I still remember how much fun it was and how everyone was unified by the theme. It gives young adults a chance to gather and to celebrate in a positive and joyful environment.”

The brunch spot was fully booked on Saturday, which Coellar said was welcome as small businesses continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

“It’s always a busy day. Especially after two years of the pandemic, more than ever we need events like this to celebrate and build common ground.”

Maggie McGarry’s, a popular pub in North Beach, had lines form outside as early as 10a.m. By noon, it was hard to see through the crowd waiting to order a drink at the hotspot.

“We were expecting it to busy with the World Cup on but it’s also SantaCon, so it was packed all morning,” said employee Claire Coyle, who has worked at the bar for 12 years. “But we were anticipating it. It’s always like this. Every year.”

Coyle’s colleague Andy Carda said that although the SantaCon crowds can be rowdy, the event brings great business to the city.

“You get the good and the bad, you’ll get those who are here to have fun but as the day goes on, it can turn,” he said. “But it’s still fun. Chaotic but fun.”

DiBell said expected many other businesses to be similarly busy.

“Some of the bars tell me that they have two really good days: New Years Eve and SantaCon,” he said.

“SantaCon pumps enormous amounts of cash into the economy. Money goes into the pockets of bars, restaurants, stores, and people are out there taking taxis, Ubers and public transport. The economic impact is stunning.”