Red Alert of Another Kind: Beijing SantaCon 2015 Lined Up for Dec 12

Threats of the latest Airmageddon can't put a damper on the unbridled Christmas spirit that fuels the annual fest of revelers dressed as Jolly Ol' St. Nick known as SantaCon, which remains on schedule to kick off this Saturday (Dec 12) in Beijing.

With origins in San Francisco in 1994, the SantaCon bar crawl phenomenon has spread to across the world, including of course Beijing. The 2015 edition Beijing SantaCon takes place Saturday and all you need to do to participate is a set of Santa duds and a rather durable liver.

RELATED: Where to Bag Your Christmas Tree and Santa Outfit on Taobao

Stay tuned to the bjsantacon.com website for updates on the itinerary, which traditionally is kept secret until the last minute. Lat year's venues included starting points in Wudaokou (Sugar Shack), Shuangjing (The Brick) and Gulou (4Corners). 

There will be multiple stops en route, including a rumored drop in at the beloved annual Hutong Winter Fayre which runs from 11am to 4pm Saturday.

Meanwhile, here's what jolly old St. Nick has to say about the 2015 edition of the event so far:

"There’s lots of fun in store, with east side and west side starting points planned, as well as a central location where Santas from all across our beloved megacity will come together, forming a heaving, holly and jolly mass of holiday fun!

As always, the starting points will be announced the night before, so keep watching this space. Santa’s Elves and helpers will also spread the word on Facebook, Twitter & WeChat. The entire route is kept top secret until the day of the event.

There will be specials on offer at each of the establishments along the route, with a musical blowout as the grand finale that will be free for all participating Santas! Who is performing? Where is the party? You’ll find out next week!

One of the rules of SantaCom is that Santa looks like Santa. A Santa hat alone is not enough. You don’t have to dress exactly like Santa but the theme is red. That having been said, unusual interpretations of Santa-ness are often appreciated and Christmas trees, elves, reindeer themes etc. are all good.

If you’re a Santa who is unable to find the appropriate Santa outfit on Taobao or at their local market, there will be a limited number of Santa costumes available at each starting point. The cost for one will be RMB 50.

Santa loves to help people! This year Santa is once again using SantaCon as a chance to support those who are in need. All money raised from Santa costumes sales will be donated to charity. Also, access to each venue’s drink specials and the grand finale concert will require a wristband that can be had for a RMB 50 donation. All money raised will go to the god people at Bethel China who help blind children reach their full potential. You can learn more about their work here. NOTE: if you buy a Santa costume you will automatically be given a wristband!

Get excited, everybody!!"

Photo: bjsantacon