Two major events brought New Yorkers to the streets Saturday in droves, and they couldn’t be more different in nature.
First, SantaCon, an annual gathering of people dressed as Santa for no reason other than “it’s fun,” according to their web site, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The event is known for public displays of drunkenness by its participants, and is at its essence a massive, costumed bar crawl.
At the same time, the Millions March, a protest in response to Ferguson and Eric Garner, and against racial injustice and police misconduct, took to the streets, starting in Washington Square Park. It’s one of the many protest marches taking place nationwide this weekend in response to deaths at the hands of police.
Although the two events kicked off in different parts of the city, by late afternoon they began to merge, as many pointed out on social media. Most pointed out the absurdity of the two events coexisting in the city.
Today in New York: the #MillionsMarchNYC protest and #Santacon. Interesting combo.
— Sarah Feng (@sharpfeng) December 13, 2014
Here's your dudebro #santacon / #millionsmarchnyc mashup shot #ericgarner #shutotdown #millionsmarch pic.twitter.com/jVCrmgqdZP
— Adam Johnson (@adamjohnsonCHI) December 13, 2014
Best signs: "#santacon = #CrimingWhileWhite " and "Kids of Color: You are Loved." #BlackLivesMatter @MillionsMarch
— Andrew Gardner (@gardnerae) December 13, 2014
https://www.instagram.com/p/wjvOrJwqc6/
https://twitter.com/MikeIsaac/status/543874183751811072
However, some found reason to celebrate the overlap: Fighting injustice while wearing festive holiday attire.
Crazy to see @MillionsMarch & #SantaCon fill NYC streets the same day.
— Michael Zaytsev (@HiMikeZ) December 13, 2014
Justice is on my Xmas wish list.#BlackLivesMatter #EmpathyDeficit
https://twitter.com/garyhe/status/543860301385711616
Screenshot via garyhe/Twitter