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No booze, more officers at NYC-area subway stations to curb SantaCon mayhem
By
Liam Quigley
Published Dec 11, 2024
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Scott Lynch / Gothamist
By
Liam Quigley
Published Dec 11, 2024
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A booze ban on MTA and NJ Transit starting this weekend means no spiked eggnog for SantaCon revelers.
The alcohol ban, which was first implemented in 2012, is an effort to maintain order on transit during the dreaded annual bacchanal, when revelers dressed as Santas, elves, reindeer and other Christmas characters go on a bar crawl that turns Manhattan neighborhoods into a drunken Disneyland.
MTA officials said they’ll deploy additional officers to major transit hubs to enforce the ban.
NJ Transit officials said beverages of any kind are banned from buses, light rail and trains on Saturday Dec. 14, which coincides with New York City’s SantaCon. The ban will also be in effect on Saturday, Dec. 21 for the Hoboken version of the event. NJ Transit officials said the policy will be “strictly enforced.”
The MTA police department will have more cops stationed at Grand Central Madison, Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal.
“Our top priority is ensuring that Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road riders can celebrate safely,” MTA Police Chief John Mueller said.
Anyone caught with alcohol will have their drinks confiscated and receive a summons. Police may also eject anyone who violates the ban from public transit.
SantaCon’s organizers bill the event as a “charitable, nonpolitical, nonsensical Santa Claus convention that happens once a year to fund art and spread absurdist joy.” Last year, Gothamist reported that SantaCon organizers had spent a lot of the money raised by the event on crypto and Burning Man.
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Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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