SantaCon Bar Crawl (And Suggestive Sweaters) Return To Hoboken This Weekend

HOBOKEN, NJ — Holiday themed "SantaCon" bar crawls return to Hoboken starting at 10 a.m. this Saturday, promising "thousands of sexy Santas," as one website proclaimed.

In past years, the events became infamous when then-Police Chief Ken Ferrante's Tweeted deadpan updates about arrests and party shutdowns.

But arrests in the city have gone down (much like the saying on the sweater below).

Ferrante, now the city's public safety director, has stopped giving play-by-pays by Tweet. He said Thursday, "We’ve been actively preparing for this weekend’s non-sanctioned bar crawl events. Police and Fire will have increased staffing in place, and we will strictly enforce a zero-tolerance policy for violations including disorderly conduct, public intoxication, overcrowding, and any behavior that threatens public safety."

He added, "We remind everyone to never drink and drive and use public transportation or rideshare services. I also want to thank, in advance, our Police, Fire, OEM, and EMS teams."

Because the events start at 10 a.m., participants have the potential to drink all day. But due to enforcement and publicity thereof, arrests have waned, officials have said.

There were four arrests at the 2023 crawls (see charges and photos here).

Partiers come to the SantaCons in New York and Hoboken — usually held on different weekends — from throughout the Tri-State area.

Past charges for those arrested have included cocaine possession and jumping on the hood of a car.

The Upside

Hoboken businesses have said in the past that they count on such holiday events to earn money to keep them going through slow summers.

SantaCon websites listed various participating bars for this year, and their "check in" times, including Madd Hatter from 11 a.m. to 2 pm., Willie McBride's from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and more.

Watch Hoboken Patch for photos of the best (or most rude) outfits and see a prior year's photos: Scantily-Clad Photos And Tasteless T's Crowd SantaCon