NYC SantaCon Organizers: ‘Remain Home and Stay on the Good List’

New York City streets will officially be devoid of throngs of the jolliest — and perhaps most inebriated — St. Nicks this year. SantaCon, the daylong bar-crawling event that some people love, and many love to hate, has been canceled.

“All of the reindeer got the ’rona so, the elves have advised Santa to hold off the in-person merriment,” SantaCon’s organizers wrote on their website. “Remain home and stay on the good list.”

SantaCon came to New York City in 1997, having already hit Portland and Seattle. Revelers usually dress up as Santa, elves or reindeer, sometimes making their own holiday-related costumes, and cram 12 days of Christmas boozing into one. The event brings troves of visitors from the tristate area, and plenty of eye rolls from nonparticipating New Yorkers.

This year’s festivities were called off the same day that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York announced a plan to combat the coronavirus during the winter season and warned that the holidays will be telling of the state’s recovery.

On the SantaCon website, the countdown was adjusted forward to the 2021 date. As of Friday, there were 349 days to go.