SantaCon and Unsilent Night Are Set to Clash (or Happily Coexist?)

Once again, the East Village’s two Christmas traditions, SantaCon and Unsilent Night, are happening on the same day. UnsilentaCon will be upon us Dec. 12!

SantaCon announced its date last week, and now Unsilent Night chimes in to say that it, too, is scheduled for the second Saturday in December (at 7pm, to be exact). In case you’ve been too busy puking into an elf cap to be aware of Unsilent Night, it’s the annual event, now in its 24th year and happening in over 30 cities worldwide, wherein ambient composer Phil Kline invites everyone to pick up boom boxes, each loaded with a 45-minute track. As Kline’s musical mob walks from Washington Square Park to Tompkins Square Park, the tracks combine to create an ethereal soundscape that tends to turn heads. (No, the mob doesn’t stop to carol at Philip Glass’s place, though it does pass nearby.)

Given that SantaCon has not been known to interact kindly with less douchey spectacles, one has to wonder how the Santas will respond to a rival army. To be fair, UnsilentaCon has happened before without incident, and SantaCon hasn’t yet announced its route. But with at least one bar welcoming them with open arms, Santas are bound to invade the East Village regardless. Expect something out of The Night Before, the Seth Rogen film that filmed on the Lower East Side a year ago and comes out next week.