SantaCon: a yearly excuse for thousands of people to come together, dressed as Ol’ Saint Nick, and drink. This year, however, there are some returning rules.
For those coming into the city on Saturday, December 10 to take part in the festive bar crawl, you’ll have to wait to begin the fun until you’ve arrived. For the 32 hours of SantaCon—through Saturday and into the morning of December 11—the Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road trains are all banning alcohol consumption during the commute.
The same ruling was made last year, in efforts to promote safety as SantaCon is known to attract droves of people into the city.
“Maintaining safe and orderly travel is always a priority,” said MTA Police Chief Mueller. “We want everyone to enjoy their holiday festivities and get to their destination smoothly and on time.”
In the MTA’s press release it was noted that there will be an “increased presence at Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal to enforce the weekend alcohol restriction.” Alcoholic beverages will be confiscated and violators may be asked to deboard. Consumption on train platforms will also be prohibited.
The 2022 SantaCon map was just released and can be viewed on their website. The route begins at 10am Saturday morning on Broadway at 40th Street. Tickets are $15 and will grant you access to all participating venues. Funds from tickets are donated to various charities throughout NYC. Find out everything you need to know about this weekend’s SantaCon here.
Also published on Medium.