(Photos: Scott Lynch)
Ridiculously balmy weather brought record numbers of Santas, elves, ugly sweaters, reindeer, Christmas trees, gingerbread cookies, and Hanukkah shout-outs to Williamsburg and the East Village on Saturday for that most notorious excuse for mass day drinking, SantaCon 2015.
The festivities (and charitable donations) kicked off in McCarren Park at 10 a.m., with dubstep-favoring DJs, live music by the likes of the Sunnyside Social Club, a troupe of break dancers, a bit of kickball, and a big group photo. And then it was off to the bars! Or, in many cases, off to wait on long lines outside of bars. Like, around-the-block, hour-plus-long lines at places such as Viva Toro, Villain, Solas, The Royal, and The 13th Step.
Of course, most Santas and their minions had some sort of sneaky street-drinking thing going on as well. But even though a hefty percentage of participants were visibly drunk by mid-afternoon, a large, visible NYPD presence and pleadings from organizers each step of the way seemed to keep most of the boorish behavior to a minimum — that is, until an off-duty EMT was arrested for allegedly hurling a beer mug at a bartender a Village Pour House bartender.
Click through our slideshow to see who was naughty and who got nice.