Hoboken Says Santacon 'Potential Superspreader' Event Is Canceled

HOBOKEN, NJ — The infamous Hoboken bar crawl called Santacon has officially been canceled by the promoter due to coronavirus concerns, announced Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante on Tuesday afternoon.

In their announcement, the two officials called it a "potential [coronavirus] superspreader event."

"Our sole goal as mayor and police chief is to keep Hoboken residents safe, and an unsanctioned, crowded bar crawl would have presented substantial challenges related to the pandemic," said the chief and mayor in a joint announcement. "We are glad to share that Santacon has officially been canceled by the event organizers, which will help protect Hoboken residents from a potential superspreader type event."

The promoters had posted on a ticketing page for the event, slated for mid-December, "Picture thousands of Santas running wild through the streets of Hoboken and having access to some of the best bars you can imagine — that's exactly what you'll get with this great event."

The chief and mayor said, "Thank you to the many bars and restaurants who from the very beginning, refused to participate in Santacon, as these events continue to lose steam.”

They noted, "Santacon, along with other 'con' events, have never been approved or sanctioned by the City of Hoboken. The 'LepreCon' event that took place in early March had an all-time low of only four bars participating." (See the best and worst photos from that event on Patch.)

In past years, the chief has complained of rowdy behavior at Santacon and Tweeted the worst offenses. (Read about last year's arrests here.)

Last week, New York City's Santacon was canceled.

And incidentally, the real Santa has "natural immunity" to the virus, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

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