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Santarchy & Santacon

4.3 (38 reviews)

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Kat C.

You better watch out, You better watch out! You better watch out, You better watch out, Santa Claus is Coming to Town! Hundreds of wild-eyed party seekers dressed in red and white with Christmas cheer on their faces and in their brown paper bags speckled the streets of San Francisco on December 4, 2010. What a sight it was to see City Hall swarmed with belligerent, yet creatively dressed Santa's, reindeers, nutcrackers and toysoldiers (to name a few) shouting, "HO! HO! HO! HO! HO!" This unofficial parade of debauchery and chaos is like the new bad-boy version of Bay2Breakers circa pre-alcohol ban. The highlights: - Greeting fellow Santa's in the street with a "HOHOHO!" - Running through the streets on a leash as Rudolph with Ms. Claus - Acting a fool - Singing "Don't Stop Believin" collaboratively with everyone at the bar. - Singing Xmas songs in the street - Dancing with a Rabbi - Cheap beers/drinks - Spreading Cheer and Merriment It was quite an interesting experience. But I have a feeling this party is headed down the same destructive path as Bay2Breakers. It was not a good day to be driving down Polk Street or running into a Santa mob while strolling downtown. Some people delayed or even blocked the flow of traffic while others tried to jump on cars like they were sleighs. Alot of the bars that were on the route seemed to be completely unaware of the event because they only had one bartender working, which made it virtually impossible to get a drink. If I ever decide to do this again, I'll get a bigger group of friends and go all out with the costumes, cohesively. Backup bars/meeting locations highly recommended and stick to one kind of hard liquor if you're going to have any...

Packed bars of Santas! It's like I've arrived at the North Pole.
Nicole A.

Soooo...I probably didn't do Santacon the way every else did (being a very FUEL-EFFICIENT alcohol drinker), but I did walk around with the bf and admire the Christmas decorations in our Santa Claus / Mrs. Claus costumes. This year had a significantly smaller turnout than years previous given that it was pouring rain at noon when everyone was supposed to meet at Union Square. Still though, it was quite entertaining to see people in Santa costumes wander about on the streets of downtown San Francisco. We looked into a couple of bars and saw them packed with people in Santa outfits, as well some elves and reindeer. We'll continue using it as a socially acceptable excuse to wear Santa hats! Kind of like that time the bf and I wore Harry Potter scarves all day for no apparent reason....

Ryan L.

SantaCon lived up to the hype: a drunken sh!t show in a sea of red. I have always been skeptical of such large city events. I'm too old for it at times, and often refer to it as amateur hour for the bridge and tunnel crowd and/or techies. Yes, I've always been "that guy". This year, I decided to be a team player and get involved with 2 good friends who have never participated and wanted to check it out. Boy oh boy, it was interesting. Ill start by saying that my idea of what it was is spot on.... But the crowds were friendly enough. I was expecting parades of frat guys bro'ing out and shot gunning jager bombs; well, that definitely happened but everyone was in the holiday spirit. Random dudes buying me shots, no fights, no pretentious bartenders etc. Where I thought we made a good call was getting started early, roughly at union square by 11:30, bar by 1. By 2, the bar (mcteagues) was at capacity and we had seats at the bar....unheard of in such an event. We posted up, drank with fellow santas and made new friends. Is this the best event I've been to in the city? Nope, but ill lighten up on the hater remarks and would probably participate again with the right people. I showed up in all red (no santa outfit or hat) and by the end of the day I left with a santa hat on.... Who's is the mystery. Come with the right people/attitude, be marry and jameson with eggnog backs to your heart desires. Cheers!

Lara D.

SANTA CON SANTA CON!! I didn't know they had one in SF. Was pretty excited when I heard of this. Stayed with my friend in their apartment by union square so traffic was not a problem thank goodness. Union Square was a sight to see. Young old kids dogs. Cops, Giant beach balls protesters, Christmas tree, tourists. Santa santa santa'a helper. Big santa little santa fat santa skinny santa. REAL SANTA. Make sure you get to Union Square to see the beautiful view. From there everyone disperses. A lot ended up on Polk street. Quite festive. Some places have free cover if you are Santa. We were walking down the street and some guy at the toy store walks out with a snow machine blower and blows snow over us as we walked. Don't get that everyday. Don't miss out on Santa Con!! Also be a NICE SANTA.

Santacon does this to you
Karen T.

This was my 1st year participating in Santacon and it was FUN! At least what I remember. All the Santas were nice and the bartenders were too.

Stephanie C.

This was my first year participating in Santa Con and I had a blast! It is completely ridiculous, massive bar-crawl but that's obviously what makes it fun. Plus, who doesn't want to run around the city dressed as Santa, elves, reindeer, snowflakes all day?! Some things to keep in mind: - Get a huge group together, the more people you have the more fun you'll have - Wear costumes! There's tons of cheap Santa costumes out there - Pre-drink ;) - Make sure you check the route ahead of time so you can hang out with all the other Santa's - Certain bars all around the city participate so be sure to try new spots out - HAVE FUN and takes tons of pictures! If you don't like Santa Con, you seriously have no sense of humor! I definitely think everyone should check it out at least once. This year was tons of fun and I'm excited for next!

at 15 Romolo (get the Pimms cup!)
Gene X.

I've been going to this for years and it's always the blast. The only reason I'm giving it four stars is because Santa needs to learn to Leave No Trace. I know it sounds all burning-man-hippy but Washington Square park was a mess and Santas should remember to be respectful and clean up after your drunken selves ok? Also Santa should be a professional and not an amateur, so let's keep from trashing our city so we can keep on enjoying this for years to come... [/off soapbox] Oh yeah, i clicked "not sure" on the "Good for Kids" field. I guess it depends on the kids and the Santas...

ninja santa
Storm S.

Santa dodge ball was awesome. cant wait for next years.

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If you don't think this is one of the most fun events of the whole year, then you're a regular ol' Scrooge! Ho ho ho, mofos!

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The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps - Plaque

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps

4.8(664 reviews)
5.3 kmInner Sunset

Who needs a stairmaster when there are actual outdoor steps all over SF?…read more The Moraga Steps ascend on beautifully tiled stairs to a tiny mountaintop with trees and vistas of the Sunset district and beyond. The reward is the view from the top!

Up and ready to do something early, while the rest of the family was sleeping, my wife and I…read moredecided to go check out the 16th Ave Tile Steps, also know as the Moraga Steps. From what I've read, the project came together started in 2003 all thanks to some of the local neighbors that were tired of looking at 163 plain concrete steps to the top of the hill. They collected donations and raised money, selling tiles, which could be customized with names, dates, phrases, anything people wanted to add to make this project come to life. It took two years of raining money, and assembly, "opening" in 2005. The steps really are truly worth checking out, for being over 20 years old, they still have beautiful and vibrant color. I would have though the sun would have faded them, but i guess the color being baked in to the ceramic tiles really holds up. The design, is very stunning, going "from sea to the star", with so much detail, so much creativity. At the top of the steps, you can hike another set of steps up to an amazing 360 degree panorama of the city. Worth the extra 150 or so steps to go all the way up. If you're able bodied, I'd recommend checking this spot out. It's free, and in a residential neighborhood, so parking is also free and easy to find.

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The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps - View from the top

View from the top

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps
The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps

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The Wave Organ - 06.15.25 Built in 1986 by Exploratorium artists in residence Peter Richards and George Gonzalez

The Wave Organ

3.9(198 reviews)
4.2 kmMarina/Cow Hollow

This sculpture is really cool! I've known about it for a while but finally took the time and effort…read moreto go check it out. It's a little off the beaten path haha, like after walking through marina greens, you kinda go on a narrower pathway, past a yacht club, and at the edge you'll find this quirky, fun thing! It was really cool to listen to the waves through this "wave organ." I thought it was newer but had no idea it was built in 1986! The Wave Organ uses 25 PVC pipes (and stone reclaimed from an old cemetery!) to channel the Bay's waves into eerie, soothing rumbles, gurgles, sloshes and hisses. Definitely put your ears up to the pipes to hear the magic. Pro tip, wish I knew beforehand: go during high tide (that's when the "music" is apparently the best!). 10/10 recommend for a lazy walk and chill moment with the sound of the Bay!

Fun place to take a short walk. No parking super close - so not good for people in wheelchairs or…read morewalkers. Great for kids and beautiful views. Off the beaten path you will find this fun spot. Walk past all the yacht clubs and keep going and going. All the way at the end there is a beautiful interactive art installation perfect for kids or adults that never grew up. Tile work and pipes that go into the ocean and make ocean sounds. Press your ear up against the pipes and take a listen. A couple people were fishing nearby but the whole place you can likely have all to yourself. Not all that many people will go take a few extra steps. Perhaps bring a picnic? Benches built into the walls... Maybe not growing up is ok. Taking life too seriously is perhaps overrated.

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The Wave Organ - 06.15.25 the acoustics of the wave organ are only active when the tide is in, and the music is best heard around high tide

06.15.25 the acoustics of the wave organ are only active when the tide is in, and the music is best heard around high tide

The Wave Organ - View from the organ to the bridge

View from the organ to the bridge

The Wave Organ - 06.15.25 located on a jetty in the Marina District

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06.15.25 located on a jetty in the Marina District

Santarchy & Santacon - localflavor - Updated May 2026

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