Oh, it's that glorious time of the year. Break out the white beards, Santa hats, and the red coats. Get ready to see tens of thousands of jolly Santas roaming the streets of New York City on December 9th, starting at 10 in the morning. SantaCon NYC 2017 is here.
Anthony Quintano on Flickr
Hold up, what is SantaCon you ask? Well, it's a bar crawl full of people dressed as Santa. But, this isn't just about the drinks. SantaCon raises money for charities. SantaCon NYC's official website refers to SantaCon as...
"...A CHARITABLE, NON-COMMERCIAL, NON-POLITICAL, NONSENSICAL SANTA CLAUS CONVENTION THAT HAPPENS ONCE A YEAR TO SPREAD ABSURDIST JOY."
In the last five years, SantaCon has raised over $300,000 for charitable causes. SantaCon NYC 2016 donated to Boys Town New York, an organization that helps at-risk children and families with educational support; Urban Pathways, a charity that helps homeless into housing and minimize their return to the streets; Safe Horizon, a group that gives people affected by violence and abuse the resources to recover; Dance Parade New York, an organization that sponsors a city-wide dance parade and festival; and Material for the Arts, a reuse center where companies and individuals can donate unneeded supplies to thousands of nonprofit organizations.
Anthony Quintano on Flickr
The start location isn't revealed until SantaCon Eve, the night before. Participating establishments are also holding off on announcing to the public until closer to December 9th. That sounds like it might be tricky to navigate...
Unless you download the official app of SantaCon NYC 2017.
Geoswap will tell you which bars are participating in the event and where to find special deals. (Santa reveals the establishments involved some time the day before.) So no matter where you are in NYC, Geoswap will be your Rudolph guiding your sleigh. In other words, super convenient if you throw back one too many Santa shots. Geoswap will do all the work for you.
After the event
Geoswap will still tell you the place to be in the city with over 300 updates daily, including nightlife events, happy hours, food specials, parties, attractions, art shows, and more.
So, just three things to remember before you head out Saturday morning. Read the Official Santa Code, don't forget your Santa hat, and make sure your Geoswap app is downloaded.