12/12/2013
By Ivan Pereira
Ready or not, santas are coming to town.
Amid uproar from some officials, the annual SantaCon celebration is set for Saturday at a location somewhere in the five boroughs.
It’s expected to draw thousands of New Yorkers decked out in their original variations of the iconic red suit.
Some elected officials said that past SantaCons turned into out of control parties on the streets, with rowdy, inebriated participants annoying pedestrians, visitors and residents.
However, organizers maintain they have taken sufficient steps to make sure this year’s activities are more nice than naughty.
“This isn’t a bar crawl,” said the organizer of the city’s convention who would only be identified as “Santa’s elf.”
“It is a creative event, where we celebrate each other’s creative costumes, exchange gifts and have fun in an organized way.”
Organizers will reveal the location of this year’s convention Friday night via their websiteand social media.
Last month, several city and state elected officials put out a press release expressing concern over the uncontrolled growth of the festivities.
City Councilman Dan Garodnick said he has no problem with the convention, but the public partying at last year’s event got out of hand.
“People live in these neighborhoods, and they deserve some basic respect,” he said.
Noelle Krystine Loizos, 24, of Hoboken, who attended last year’s event and will return this year, said she didn’t find the 2012 con to be rowdy at all. Loizos, an actress who works in Manhattan, said all the participants know that this isn’t a wild free for all.
“The only thing I saw was that there were long lines in the bars. But there weren’t any disturbances. No one went crazy,” she said.
Still, the city isn’t taking any chances. The NYPD will be keeping an eye on participants and the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit announced Thursday alcohol won’t be sold on their trains Saturday.
“Santa’s Elf,” who has been partaking in the con for a decade, said there will be volunteers who will collect trash scattered by the participants. Organizers talked with the community board covering the area where SantaCon will be held, as well as local restaurants to make sure things run smoothly.
In addition, organizers took to social media and their Website to promote a list of rules dubbed the “Santa code.” The code contains several rules that tell participants to show courtesy to other residents and not let the fun get too out of hand.
“Santa respects the city. Santa doesn’t p*** on the streets, start fights, block streets, climb on cars, or deface property,” read one rule.
Beth Smith, 26, of Astoria, who will be attending the con, said she will be adhering to the code and expects her fellow participants to do the same.
“I think people can control themselves,” she said.
