It's time to get your Santa suit out again as the second annual Shanghai Santacon kicks off in the city this Saturday. The popular pub crawl event is back and open to everyone in the mood to dress up as Santa for a day of festive fun.
Sanatcon is fast becoming a worldwide phenomenon, now taking place in 319 locations in 44 countries. The event landed in Shanghai for the first time last year with around 80 Santas spreading Christmas cheer around the city, stopping for some drinks and merrymaking along the way.
"We are hoping to attract more local Santas (this year), more of our Chinese Santa friends. We had a really great reception from the community last year and had a great group walking through Shanghai landmarks. We spread a lot of holiday cheer and hope to bring even more Christmas spirit to Shanghai this year," says Rae Yan, marketing director at Dragon, the events company behind this year's Santacon.
Santacon isn't just about drinking though. Santas are encouraged to sing Christmas carols, interact with passers-by and give gifts to children as they wander through town. "We hope that this event will give us a chance to show Shanghai locals a light aspect of Western culture and allow them to experience Christmas in a different way," Yan says.
Santacon is also issuing guidelines to those taking part to ensure things don't get out of hand. Among this year's advice is; tip the barstaff, don't whine, don't make children cry and bring gifts - sounds easy enough! Organizers say it's important for the event to be safe and for everyone to show respect for the city. The route is currently only being revealed to registered Santas, but it's expected to start in the French Concession, heading towards People's Square and The Bund.
Registration for this Saturday's event is still open and if you are struggling for costume ideas costumes, go on taobao and get creative. Santas of all nationalities, wearing all kinds of costumes are welcome to join. Santa hats and costumes are for sale through the organizers if you contact them ASAP, email: info@pubcrawlshanghai.com.
// Santacon takes place this Saturday 21 December. For more information on meeting places and routes, please visit http://santacon.info/Shanghai/
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