SantaCon Looks For New Home After Backing Out Of Bushwick Plans
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Santa Claus is coming to town -- but which neighborhood exactly remains unclear.
Organizers of the annual SantaCon pub crawl are exploring their options after deciding against moving the party to Bushwick, Brooklyn, as originally planned.
An organizer for the event said SantaCon decided Bushwick did not have the capacity to support the festival. Several Bushwick restaurants and bars, however, said they would not allow SantaCon revelers into their establishments, according to published reports. City Councilman Rafael Espinal also reportedly urged Bushwick businesses to not serve the St. Nicks.
The yuletide bar hop has gotten way too jolly in years past, with Santa-suited drunks urinating and vomiting on sidewalks. Bushwick bars didn't need the headaches, bartender Jesse Perlstein told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond.
"They have their own infrastructure and their own local business," Perlstein said. "They don't need to import a bunch of drunken lunatics."
But Zhana Vrangalova, who lives in nearby East Williamsburg, said she was a bit surprised by the opposition.
"I mean, if any neighborhood should welcome people partying, that would be Bushwick, you would think, right?" she said.
In recent years, SantaCon has been held in the East Village.
Last year, there was an incident involving Santas throwing punches at each other at Third Avenue between 16th and 17th streets.
This year's SantaCon will be held Dec. 13. The starting location will be announced online the day before.
The event raises money for charity. Last year, SantaCon raised $60,000, according to its website.
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