Parents of pre adolescent children might want to keep them in doors on the 8th of December 2018 as this is the day that the now annual Santacon London event will take place.
Described as a “non-profit, non-political, non-religious and non-sensical” celebration of the season, Santacon London sees three massive groups of Santas (ok, Londoners dressed as Santas) take to the streets for a massive pub crawl. There is something decidedly modern about the event, but it might be a difficult one to explain to the kids, so, if you’re at all worried – keep them inside.
If you are an adult with a sense of adventure however, then this is the event for you. Get yourself along to the nearest fancy dress shop (or dust off your own Santa costume if you just happen to have one lying around) and prepare to join the fun.
The event is incredibly good natured with a large crowd of enthusiastic Santa lovers guaranteed to attend. Most of the day is spent in the streets however, so do dress up warm. Once the group has assembled, Santas wander through the streets, giving out gifts and hugs and spreading good cheer by singing carols. This is interspersed with trips to various pubs however Santas are warned not to go too crazy as the organisers are keen to maintain the good reputation of the event.
Santacon London has been taking place for 17 years now and the event is showing no signs of slowing up with a large crowd turning up for the 2017 event and another bumper crowd predicted to turn up in 2018. If you would like to take part in the event, do check Santacon London’s Facebook page for more details and do keep an eye out for any changes to the event. Santacon has few rules but not getting too drunk and not scaring the children are the two cardinal ones.
Santacon began in San Francisco in 1994, when a group of radicals decided to stage a small gathering of locals to protest against consumerism. The leaders of the group had been inspired by a Danish activist theatre group and mimicing the European group’s actions, the San Francisco residents decided to dress as Santas and take their protest to the streets. Entering a department store, the group decided to hand out items that they found on the shelves to passersby. This resulted in several arrests but the event continued albeit with a less overtly political edge. As subsequent events took on a more celebratory nature, Santacon spread to a number of cities around the world.
For more information on Santacon London, please click here.
For more information on Christmas events in London, please click here.
