SantaCon NYC 2014 Routes & Rules: What You Need to Know to Participate in SantaCon
New York City will be taken over Saturday, Dec. 13 with SantaCon 2014, where huge crowds of people dress up as the jolliest man in the world and go on a drinking tour around the Big Apple. Despite its silly demeanor, the group does raise funds for several great causes.
SantaCon attendees, and others, are encouraged to make a donation at the official SantaCon website, which will go toward charities like the Food Bank for NYC, Figment Arts, Brooklyn Food Coalition, Dance Parade and several more. According to its website, last year's SantaCon raised more than $60,000 for these groups last year.
This year, the meet up point is in Time Square at 10 a.m.
In order to gather with the group and not be walking aimlessly through Manhattan in a Santa outfit, participants should go to the @santacon Twitter account for all location details, which only become available on the eve before SantaCon. By texting "Follow @santacon" to 40404, cell phone users can also have route updates texted to them, or download the SantaCon app for Android or iOS.
A list of SantaCon approved places can also be found on NowMap.com.
While it seems very straightforward, the event takes the act of dressing up as Santa seriously. There is a dress code, in which no one simply throwing on a red hat is considered "in costume." Participants are encouraged to be creative with their St. Nick attire but to be as authentic and appropriate as possible.
While the event does involve making merriment and mingling on the streets of New York, there are also several behavioral ground rules. In what it likes to call the "Santa Code," SantaCon festively but firmly lays out a code of conduct for its group.
"Santa spreads joy: Not terror. Not vomit. Not trash. Would you want those under your tree?" the first rule of the Santa Code reads. "Santa is nice to kids: He makes them laugh, not cry ... because he is Santa Claus (duh). Santa respects cops: The police will be at every one of our stops. Respect them and do not break laws (open container, urinating in public -- this makes you a sex offender -- jaywalking, doing anything illegal!)"
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