The New Jersey Department of Transportation will ban all beverages (including water) across its system for the next two Saturdays ahead of SantaCon in New York City and Hoboken, respectively.
This means that on December 9th and December 16th, drinks of any kind, whether open or closed, and in containers of any kind will not be allowed inside train, bus or tram vehicles. means prohibited. The transit agency announced Thursday that it plans to strictly enforce the policy. .
In New York, the MTA banned alcohol on all Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road trains over the weekend. Please don’t pet it. You may not consume alcohol on any platform.
The ban will begin at 4 a.m. Saturday and last until noon Sunday. The MTA Police Department will deploy additional officers to enforce the ban as well as deal with unruly crowds at locations such as Penn Station, Grand Central Madison, and Grand Central Terminal. . Police will issue citations to violators and remove their alcohol, and violators could be removed from trains and MTA stations.
“Ensuring everyone has access to safe and orderly travel is always our top priority,” said MTA Police Chief John Mueller. “The holiday season is a wonderful time of year, and we want everyone to enjoy the festivities and arrive at their destinations smoothly and on time.”
What is Santacon?
The annual Santacon event is held every December. Her troupe of 20-somethings dressed as Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves, and all sorts of other holiday favorites celebrate the famous bar hopping event, which begins in midtown Manhattan and stretches east to the Village.
Organizers are encouraging revelers to donate $15 for free admission to participating venues.
The website describes the event as “a philanthropic, apolitical, no-nonsense Santa Claus convention held once a year to spread absurd joy.”
Naturally, there are always a few Grinches who drink too much spiked eggnog (God help you if you’re actually drinking it all day) and ruin everyone’s fun with their obnoxious behavior and chaos on the streets and sidewalks. is.
of Santacon rulesThe message on the event website is simple: Do not interfere with children, police, bar staff, charities, or simply New York City. Be kind to others and clean up after yourself. Stop vomiting on the street.
Which bars are participating?
The merry festivities begin at 10 a.m. on 7th Street, with a procession of Kringles parading before heading to the first bar of the day.
For those who participate, Santacon map indicates there are several participating bars in Midtown and the East Village. More than 50 bars and clubs are hosting the banquet, and the website invites attendees to come and go as they please.
If you want to avoid this event at all costs, stay away from East and West Midtown and the East Village, where most of the bars are located. In Manhattan, focus on the Upper West Side, Harlem, and the upper and lower parts of the island. For those who live in other areas… well, if you want to avoid the revelers, you might be better off staying put.
Or, if events aren’t your thing, it might be a good weekend to get away from the city altogether.