If you were out and about in Los Angeles yesterday, you might have noticed something a little strange: scores of sloshed Santas stumbling around town and spreading their Christmas cheer. Yes, Santacon 2013 happened yesterday, and judging by the photos, holiday merriment was had all around.
If one were to describe SantaCon accurately, it would go a little bit like this: Hundreds of people dressed as Santa (and some as reindeer, Christmas trees, elves, and even Jesus) meet up at a secret location for an entire day of bar crawling and general debauchery. SantaCon has been a worldwide phenomenon since 1994 and has taken place in 317 locations in 44 countries across the globe. The con has been getting a bad rap as of late, especially in New York (and judging by this video, we can't really blame them) but it clearly wasn't as awful this time.
This year's secret starting point was at El Mercadito Mariachi in Boyle Heights. After getting the day started with some fine mariachi music, the Santas all hopped on the Gold Line (or a special SantaCon bus) to other stops, including Hop Louie's in Chinatown and Rage in West Hollywood. All the while, the Santas were singing some interesting carols, including "Hark! The Drunken Santas Sing" and "I'm Dreaming of a White Russian."
