How to organize a SantaCon
Here is some info to help you organize a successful SantaCon.
Basics
If you want to get together with a small or large group of people dressed as Santa and your gathering is open to others, i.e. not a private event, then it’s a SantaCon as far as SantaCon.info is concerned and Santa will add it to the calendar and help you promote it.
That having been said, in order to protect the public from fraudulent behavior, there are now some restrictions on the use of “santacon” to describe your event. So it is important that you Contact Santa before you make any announcements.
Traditionally, SantaCon is free to attend but if you require a contribution to cover your costs and/or a donation to a good cause, SantaCon.info will still list your event. All Santa asks is that you make clear that you are charging and what you are charging for.
If there’s an existing SantaCon near you, it’s usually best if you can work with them but you don’t have to. There can be more than one SantaCon in a particular location.
Starting small
The easiest and best way to get started is to get a few friends on board and agree to meet somewhere (usually a bar) dressed as Santa. Make it known that anyone else who shows up similarly dressed will be welcome and, bam, you’ve got a SantaCon. That was easy, wasn’t it :-)
A “proper” SantaCon
Walking down main street with a few friends all dressed as Santa can be fun but if there were ten times as many of you it would be better.
Firstly, this is where SantaCon.info can really help you: It has become the #1 resource for anyone looking to join a SantaCon and the Internet search engines pick up any new info on the site very quickly, so posting details of your event on the SantaCon.info event calendar is the fastest way to be found and boost attendance.
Secondly, you will run into problems if you try to take a big group of people to a venue unannounced, especially if they are in costume and a little rowdy. The precise meaning of “Big group“ varies depending on where you’re going but a range of something like 12-60 people - enough to make an impact but not so many they don’t all fit. So you need to do some planning...
Get your gear at a discount
Every year Santa tries to get one or more discounts from major retailers of santa clothing & accessories that is accessible to the majority of santas. This way, Santa doesn’t pay full price and it helps me keep the website operational.
It’s usually in the form of a coupon or coupon code you can use in-store or online and, although you are welcome to promote & use it with impunity, note that it is usually updated every few days. So, in order to make sure you get a valid coupon, please link to the site and not directly to the offer.
Normally, Santa will make sure the offer appears on every page of the site so linking to your own event page and mentioning that the coupon is there is probably the most appropriate thing to do.
Preparation & planning
Rarely, if ever, does a good SantaCon happen in only one place. Santa gotta move. So plan a route and some fun activities.
Going from bar to bar is about as simple as it gets but be warned that this does leave Santa with little else to do other than become intoxicated which can cause problems. So, it’s better to include some more interesting things to do. Here are some ideas:
- Build a snowman*
- Sing Christmas carols**
- Have a costume competition***
- Take your santas to a club that offers entertainment to adults
- Finish off the night with music and dancing at a different kind of club
* What no snow? Well, don’t use anything that isn’t quickly biodegradable. Try contacting your local ice rink and pack the ice shavings from the Zamboni into coolers. If you can stow the coolers near where you intend to build the snowman even better. Be warned though that “Zamboni snow” tends to make rather hard snowballs so you might want to educate your santas to cut the size down and only throw them at participating santas. Throwing stuff, even snow, can be risky.
** You can sing straight Christmas carols or you can modify the words a little to make them amusing. Santa has a collection of corrupted Christmas carol lyrics that are too rude & offensive to publish but he’ll happliy e-mail them to you on request.
*** or some other kind of competition. Involve everyone by setting up the ones who aren’t competing as judges. Don’t forget the prizes.
Now that you have a basic idea of how the event should progress you need to pay attention to the following details:
- Walk the route and make sure you allow enough time for everything.
- Get permission: Most venues want to know in advance if you’re bringing a large group.
- Negotiate some discounts and benefits: Santa shouldn’t pay full price!
- Make sure you or at least someone dressed as Santa is at the appointed meeting place on-time if not a little early. First-time santas who would otherwise be enthusiastic can feel regretfully uncomfortable if they’re the only ones there.
- Encourage all your santas to get ready and go out in groups to avoid lone santa syndrome.
Larger groups
When you have more than about 30 santas a megaphone comes in very handy. When it’s time to move to the next stop, announcing something like “Ho! Ho! Ho! Santas let’s go” usually does the trick.
You should also give some consideration to Santa’s natural needs and employ one of the many restroom/
Keep Santa updated
SantaCon.info has a massive following and it hurts everyone if Santa is providing incorrect information.
When you have new info - especially when you set this year’s date - please be sure to Contact Santa.