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SantaCon Bars Explain Why They’re Supporting SantaCon


December 12, 2014 | Bucky Turco

Tomorrow is SantaCon — or as the local media would have you believe Santageddon — the day where New Yorkers purportedly hide indoors while boisterous men and women dressed in Santa outfits descend upon the city and destroy everything in their path. Though it’s no different from any other festive holiday bar crawl, like those on St. Patrick’s Day or New Year’s Eve, the event has come under fire by the public, the media, and even the city. But how do the bar owners hosting these events feel? ANIMAL reached out to several Midtown bars listed on SantaCon’s app as Santa-friendly, and found the more Irish the pub, the more they welcome the business. It is for charity, after all.

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Pinks
“Well we’re not actually participating,” said Avi, owner of Pinks in the East Village. “Some of the organizers are customers of mine. I had no problem. I think it’s 100. I don’t see anything wrong with donating money to charity.”

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Pioneers Bar NYC
“We’re definitely not one of the bars hosting SantaCon. Santas are welcome. But no official event. There may not even be space for you guys.”

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Maru Karaoke Lounge
“Absolutely,” said Simon about supporting SantaCon. “I’m a huge fan. You go bar hopping. You know, why not? SantaCon has always been one of those events where people have a good time.”

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Nelly Spillanes
“The reason we’re supporting SantaCon, there isn’t enough feature of the positive: And that’s the charity side,” said Mark Langton. “There’s a lot of money being given to charity. We’re very charity-based. We just find it’s a good organization. In the long run, it’s about the charity. And we’ve never had any problems with their clientele.”

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Foley’s NY
“It is for charity,” said Shaun. “I’ve given thousands to Toys for Tots. There’s different ways of supporting it. We do it in a very orderly manner. I don’t exceed my public occupancy number. I have very strict rules for any crowd of people.”

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Jack Demsey’s
“They have certain charities they raise money for,” said Enda. “That’s part of what they spend on the day. We don’t let in too many. I never seen any trouble, ever.”

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The Thirsty Fan
“You can’t outlaw SantaCon,” said Marty. “You can’t outlaw Santa. You can’t outlaw Christmas and you can’t outlaw happiness.”

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Playwright Irish Pub
“SantaCon is like one of the biggest days of the year,” said John. “I have 12 bartenders on. People get extra hours. People get overtime. Actually it’s a great thing. No one complains. Everyone is making money. I want SantaCon every weekend here.”

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Tempest Bar
“I’m supporting SantaCon,” said Joe. “I had it here a couple years ago. It’s festive. The crowd was well behaved. It was quite a lot of fun. Actually, I had a fair share of regulars that were dressed as Santas.”

(Photo: xsnowdog)