SANTACON 2023 participants have descended upon New York City for the annual bar crawl - but long lines and drink prices have left some wondering why they went.
The annual pub crawl takes place in many states, but the main event is in New York City, where drink prices often exceed $15 and lines wrap around the block to get inside participating bars.
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Thousands of people gather in cities, like New York, to show off their holiday cheer by dressing up as the iconic Santa Claus.
SantaCon participants had to purchase a ticket and verify they were 21 years or older.
"Be Merry, Be Safe, Be Responsible for your Own Actions, Respect the City, Don’t litter, Don’t scare children, Listen to the cops, and in general have a jolly good time," reads the official NYC SantaCon website.
The U.S. Sun has been on the ground gaining exclusive insight from SantaCon attendees.
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CHRISTMAS CHEER TURNED LEER
While the event is supposed to be all joy, not all attendees are feeling the spirit.
Ava Moncayo, 21, and Aidan Dunigan, 21, are two friends who attended the festivities dressed as Santa and in a reindeer onesie respectively.
"Terrible," is how Aidan described his experience so far, standing in lines and paying $15 for a beer.
Aside from overpriced drinks, there is another reason that the day has been disappointing for them.
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"It's been a great experience getting catcalled in a reindeer costume," remarked Ava sarcastically.
Other attendees, perhaps aided by their blood alcohol content, were seen being ticketed as SantaCon paraded around them.
'PARTYING AND CHARITY'
While it is a seasonal celebration, SantaCon also uses its proceeds to benefit charity.
This year the event benefitted City Harvest and The Trevor Project - though not all attendees know that.
Miciah Buchanan, 24, was there to celebrate the season, and when asked if he was aware of the charity, he voiced concern.
"No, wait I don’t. Shoot - should I know that? Is that bad?” he asked.
Wayne Anthony, 31, and Andres Aponte, 34, were aware that it was a charity event and felt it was a healthy mix of partying and charity.
Another set of friends, who identified themselves as characters "Father Christmas" and "Kris Kringle" (aka Super Sonic Santa) were well-versed in the event's charitable background.
"The awesome joy we've given each other all year," explained Father Christmas on why he attends.
"To support the charity and spread joy all day long," he continued.
Both men have been attending the event for 10 years now and said that SantaCon provides charity to multiple organizations, raising around $1 million last year.
A group of college students had decided to skip out on studying and attend the event.
Isabella Garcia, 21, is a nursing major who was supposed to be studying for finals, but she and her friends had been taking a "study break" on the streets of New York City.
"I think it's a good way of making drinking go towards charity," she explained.
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CELEBRATE: PEOPLE, CHARITY, AND DRINKING
This year, a staple Christmas season musician joined the crowd, jumping up on a float to address the hoards of people below.
Michael Bublé appeared seemingly out of nowhere and took a parade float microphone to wish everyone a "Merry SantaCon, God bless."
He then took a shot as part of the official SantaCon drinking game, Shot on a Shelf.
Shaw, 24, has been living in the city for nearly seven years and this is his first visit to the SantaCon event.
"I didn't want to go because I knew trains get packed...everyone's like, 'It's just chaotic,'" he explained.
But so far his experience has turned around his perspective: "Honestly, me doing it now, I can understand the hype.
"I would say to anyone out there that wants to do it: Just do it."
Adrian Castillo, 29, was asked how he intended to celebrate the day, and beyond drinking, he focused on the beauty and purpose of the day.
"Enjoying not only the great weather but the people," he said.
"And the important thing is the importance of SantaCon is that we are contributing a donation to a very important cause."
With that being said, Castillo was not aware of what the charities being benefited were.
Rebecca Holeman, 21, had a more direct perspective when asked what SantaCon was about.
"SantaCon means Santa is coming to town. We're all getting drunk," she answered.
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MORE THAN JUST SANTAS
To attend SantaCon there is one rule - participants must be dressed with the best representation of holiday cheer.
Santa is the No. 1 costume worn to SantaCon but visitors may also see people dressed as Christmas trees, reindeer, elves, and other seasonal creatures.
As long as participants are within holiday spirit guidelines, they are good to go.
Costumes can be creative and include accessories such as hats, beards, stockings, boots, ugly Christmas sweaters, and more.
In the crowd this year was an array of creative costumes, including a handful of Buddy the Elfs and Grinches from the iconic Christmas movies.
A few people showed up as pickles, which seems random but references an old Germanic tradition where a pickle, or modernly a pickle ornament, is hidden in the tree and the person to find it opens gifts first.
Many costumes take hard planning and preparation, as the event is highly anticipated by attendees.
London Gambino, 26, went to the event last minute, but his costume was hand-made by a friend.
He and his whole crew attended in formfitting Christmas theme suits, with his being the quintessential red and green plain material associated with the holiday.
"I was like, 'Given me something red,' it's a lumberjack vibe," he explained.
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He, like many, also had no idea that the event funded charity.
When told he said plainly: "It's about charity? Really?"
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