UPDATE:
Adding pictures from the day (and night) plus this field report from Lauren:
Capitol Hill is swarming with Santas this afternoon! What started as a Facebook and Yahoo group has turned into a drunken swarm of red and white velvet as Santas of all kinds take to the streets with megaphones, boom boxes and hula hoops. More than 1,000 people are expected to participate.They are headed to Cal Anderson Park for a while, then hitting up Cafe Metropolitain and other local pubs. Santa told me they’re partying till 4 a.m., so go grab your Santa hat and join the party!
The Santas exit Capitol Hill (Photo: Jared W)
Original Post:
Depending on where you fall on the Grinch spectrum, Seattle Santarchy either means a surreal experience watching a group of Santas invade bars and have a holly, jolly Christmas — or an irritating experience watching a bunch of douchebags make asses of themselves in holiday costumes. Or you have a Santa hat on, a warm red suit and are already so drunk that you don’t give an egg nog what people think.
Anyway, it starts today at noon right here on Capitol Hill. 12p at Elysian. Consider this an invitation or a warning. SPOILER ALERT: Part of the ‘fun’ of the Santa invasion is running into the group unexpectedly but we found a proposed itinerary for the group and have posted it at the bottom of this post. Somehow we wouldn’t be surprised if a) they don’t follow this itinerary and b) if they do, they won’t stay on schedule.
CHS has a cub reporter embedded with the unit so we’re expecting some amount of coverage from the battlefield. Wish her luck.
Happy Santarchy.
Thanks to @blitzarts for the picture
Seattle Santarchy 2009
Can’t vouch for accuracy . Good luck!
- Noon – 1:00 p.m. – Elysian Brewing Company
- 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. – Comet Tavern
- 2:45 – 4:00 p.m. – Cal-Anderson Park Santalympics
- 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. – Cafe Metropolitan
- 5:30 – 5:45 p.m. – Denny Way Overpass Banner hanging
- 5:45 – 6:00 p.m. – REI Renegade X-Mas Decorating and Naughty Carol Singing
- 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Hurricane Cafe Dinner and Drinks
- 8:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Pass through Belltown (Buddha Bar, Shortys, Whiskey Bar, etc)
- 9:00 p.m. – NITELITE Tradition!
- 11:30 – till Santa falls down
I put on my red tights and fantasy horns and joined in … had a blast.
Must report some very real sexual stuff going on in the corner of the bar … costumes give permission, along with three drink in the afternoon. Seems to be just a need to be crazy in Seattle, love it.
More reporting from the later sessions ….
Mike
a spy? bad santa.
I thought this sounded like a fun idea and was even happy that they were going to be at Cafe Metropolitan because I live in that building.
It was fun for a while, and I even took some pictures. But after a while it just got annoying. People everywhere shouting. Loud bullhorns. Drunk Santas pissing on the building. All of this happening for over an hour right under my apartment.
Sorry if I sound like a prudish killjoy, but it probably would have been better had they chosen a place a little further away from residential quarters.
Yes indeed – prudish killjoy…. self describes very well.
Grinch.
Just remember, it is once a year. And this party will get real rowdy at midnight … beware, most likely far from your bldg.
(inside report, some same sex Santa kissing going on, get a pic, very, very droll, tis the season )
These guys totally made my day just now. Had been bummed a bit by traffic, sore feet, consumerism, being forced into a 4 hour tour-of-duty aka shopping by the The Lovely Spouse™, etc –
…. then drunken merriment wandered by numbering 200+ on my drive home. Sexy santas in full costume + handing out chocolates = FTW.
Scoville:
Bob Cratchit wants to know if he can put another coal in the stove… ?
We’ve got “Flock of Geese”, “Herd of Cattle” but what about Santas? My friend Charlie suggests a “Jolly of Santas”. Works for me.
Go ahead and call me all the names you want. That only proves my point.
My complaint is not about people having fun. It’s about the lack of consideration some people have for others.
You sirs – have made lexicon history – what a great handle.
And for the same sex kissing Santas, what do we name them? Adam and Steve don’t get it…..
I need two more drinks of rum-wine-punch …. then, it will become obvious. I have the pix, too. Fun stuff on a cold but very nice clear day.
My midnight prowl for more fun about to begin … I love Capitol Hill, bars galore… expensive but VERY strong drinks. (go to Purr for the seeming triples )
Mike
Hey Scovile,
You live in the city. It’s going to be loud. Maybe it’s time you left the Hill for a quiet suburb.
Suck it up or leave, asshole.
Living in the city means putting up with drunk people urinating on your building? Loud is one thing; rude, illegal, and disgraceful behavior, though–that’s what you want to defend?
OK, neighbors, we know where this one is going. The santas are a lot of fun but it’s pretty easy to see how they might irritate — especially if you’re living in the middle of it. While it’s probably not very realistic to expect a bunch of drunk people dressed up like Santa Claus to be on their best behavior (though most were showing at least a small amount of common sense when I watched), there’s no crime in raising your voice to say it wasn’t 100% fun times.
We’re in for this discussion more and more as residential development along Broadway and Pike/Pine increases. Let’s remove ‘hold the party somewhere else’ and ‘you should move off the Hill’ from the conversation.
I admit, I just moved here and this is my first time living in an area this urban. Yes, I realized that there would be more noise than what I’m used to and yes I’m ok with that to a point.
Sorry if I’ve insulted you with my complaint, but it wasn’t meant to be argumentative. It was just my unsuccessful way of saying “Hey, let’s be considerate of the people who do live here.” I enjoyed it up to a point. When it got to be a little much, I used this blog to vent a bit. Never thought someone would call me an asshole for it.
Oh well. Merry Christmas. :)
Hey the key word is FUN. World in crises, economy in collapse, so time for some FUN. Collective FUN. Seasonal themed FUN.
Lighten up – and it is a free country – and as adults FUN is an elastic concept. My FUN does not have to match your FUN. Just doesn’t.
No answer to the leading question: prize wit of the weekend: (above)
Can cold and shivering Bookkeeper Bob C. put some coal on the fire?
One of the main objections of Santarchy “for me” is the pure excitment from the children seeing the Santas out during the day. I make it a tradition to hand out toys and gifts to young and old alike to their amusement of hundreds of santas showing up on the streets of Seattle. To see the eyes light up from a child when you reach into your Santa bag and hand them a big furry stuff teddy bear is priceless. I don’t drink so you won’t get any rudeness or bad Santary from me, and there are others out there like me doing the same.
“Sorry if I sound like a prudish killjoy, but it probably would have been better had they chosen a place a little further away from residential quarters.”
News flash: The residential quarters you chose to live in happens to be above a bar, across the street from 2 more and you live on a busy street on CAPITOL HILL. Move to Kirkland!
I saw a loud, loutish group of Santas in the
park adjacent to Stimson Green Mansion on Minor
at Seneca about 10:30 am-ish. This must have been
a warmup drill, getting their voices up to form…
I prefer this type of Santa Claus:
http://towleroad.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c730253ef01287653bd
http://www.towleroad.com/2009/12/watch-santas-in-speedos-rac:+towleroad/feed+(Towleroad+Daily++%23gay+news)&utm_content=FaceBook
Nice, nice, nice.
Looks like a sorely needed fund raiser in Seattle.
Give me a fucking break. My boyfriend went, took tons of pics. Nothing kid friendly about you bunch of dumb asses. He got drunk off his ass and not home till 4am. Santarchy is a fucking joke. Again, NOTHING kid friendly about a bunch of drunk santas and scantily clad sluts