Get Your Santa On

Denverites have an undying love for dressing alike and carousing through the city in throngs. Weather conditions and an innate sense of propriety are ignored as locals seize upon even the slightest pretense to don silly outfits and take to the streets in a spirit of beery bonhomie. Despite its...

By ron Graham

December 4, 2014

Audio By Carbonatix

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "leaderboardInlineContent",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "tower",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]

Denverites have an undying love for dressing alike and carousing through the city in throngs. Weather conditions and an innate sense of propriety are ignored as locals seize upon even the slightest pretense to don silly outfits and take to the streets in a spirit of beery bonhomie. Despite its Christmasy vibe, Denver SantaCon, hosted by the local chapter of a nationwide group, is a decidedly “non-denominational, non-commercial, non-political and nonsensical Santa Claus convention that occurs once a year for absolutely no reason,” according to the event's mission statement.

In order to participate, all attendees must be dressed in head-to-toe holiday regalia. As previous years' gatherings have drawn some controversy, new strictures against carrying open containers and “being an asshole” are included in the event summary.

Though passersby may scoff as drinks are quaffed and Santa hats doffed, SantaCon wants to be known as more than a mere pub crawl. And while the itinerary includes walking from one watering hole to another and organizers recommend bringing cash so the Santa brigade won’t have to wait for tabs to close, they emphasize that the gathering is really about “your chance to spread holiday cheer in the most magical and absurd way possible.”

Denver SantaCon arrives a bit early this year, taking place today from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. The jolly jaunt kicks off in City Park, 2600 East 17th Avenue. Go to denversantacon.com or follow Denver SantaCon on Twitter (@Denver_SantaCon) for updates.
Sat., Dec. 6, 1 p.m.-1 a.m., 2014

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.