Thousands of Santas take over New York City to spread rowdy holiday cheer

 By 
Elizabeth Pierson
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In New York Saturday, some Santas were naughty and some Santas were nice.

SantaCon -- an annual daytime bar crawl where revelers dress like Father Christmas -- started in 1994 in San Francisco and migrated to New York in 1997. The holiday cheer has now spread to more than 350 cities and 49 countries, according to the New York Times.

Although New York's SantaCon remains one of the country's largest, it also has a history of controversy. Last year, some bars in the city closed their doors to anyone dressed in red suits and hats for fear of some of the SantaCon side effects: Fights, vomiting and public urination. Seeking to change their image, the organizers have now started a non-profit, according to the outlet, holding charity fundraising events and even enlisting a good lawyer with a First Amendment defense to keep the party going.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press

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