Every December for the last 14 years, Cacophonous Santas have been visiting cities around the world, engaging in a bit of Santarchy as part of the annual Santacon events.
It all started back in 1994 when several dozen Cheap Suit Santas paid a visit to downtown San Francisco for a night of Kringle Kaos. Things have reached Critical Xmas and Santarchy is now a global phenomenon.
You'd better watch out! Santa's coming to town!
Santacon 2007 Information
and Event Coverage
- For the most part Santarchy! is an archive only. We don't do any active planning on this website, however we will mention upcoming Santacons that have their information posted online.
- If you are looking for Santacon planning info, try contacting your local lodge of The Cacophony Society or the Santacon and Santarchy tribes.
- We do not condone or encourage any kind of vandalism or violence at a Santacon event. Our santas do not destroy property, steal merchandise or do harm to others.
- Santarchy is not a movement, that's what you do in the bathroom. In addition to that, the annual Santacon events are not a protest against Christmas or commercialization. Really, it's just a bunch of santas getting together to have a good time.
- We do not provide or sell any stock photos or video footage and all images on this website are copyright of their owners. If you want to use any photos or videos on this website, please contact the owner directly.
- We do not do interviews with the media and so on. We're not actively involved with organizing any of the Santacon events (see #1), so if you are looking for people to interview, try contacting the organizers of various regional Santacon events.
- We have absolutly nothing to do with any idiot santas you may have heard about in New Zealand. Contrary to misreporting by the media, they are not associated Santarchy or the Santacon events.
- If you came here looking for Chuck Palahniuk, he's the one drinking cheap tequila over here.
January 2008
December 2007
August 2007
December 2006
November 2006
March 2006
January 2006
December 2005
Do you have a santacon website you would like to add to the archives?
Contact us at:
hohoho AT santarchy DOT com
Make sure to mention what which city it took place in.
"You'd Better Watch Out:
Portland Santacon '96"
Weird America's San Francisco Santacon '95
This site is maintained by Santa Squid (retired), with occasional input from Santa Melmoth (retired), both veterans of the great Santa wars 1994-98.
With special guest bloggers Santa de Nada & o'Santa Bin Laden
This blog runs on WordPress (ask Santa to bring it to you for Christmas)
this website is licensed under a
Creative Commons License
New Zealand Santa’s (allegedly) Run Amok!
News Reports on Santas in Auckland, New Zealand
Just because criminals use ski-masks (or santa suits in this case) doesn’t mean everyone wearing a ski mask is a criminal. We (the maintainters of santarchy.com) haven’t been in a red suit since 1998. We’re retired. Out of control Santas’s in your town? Blame society. We did this event to have fun and toy with the goofy cultural archetypes represented in X-mas imagery. Is this a political Statement? Not on your life. If bunch of Frat Dorks use this idea & imagery to terrorize their town — it’s not our business. News reports notwithstanding, the truth as to motives and even actual incidents is rarely presented in these often exaggerated press accounts. Santa should spred good cheer. If he doesn’t, spank him! Or send him to jail!
Hysteria is the meat of the internet.
- Santa Melmoth & Santa Squid
UPDATE 1: The Radio New Zealand interview is now online
UPDATE 2: STUFF article on Auckland Santas has more accurate reporting
comment by Way up North
on Sunday, December 18th, 2005 at 7:03 pm
How do you blame a Santa that has said good bye to his feet forever ! Not to mention other anatomical parts.
I say to hell with those critical of St Nick so stay clear old Santa Booze or pay the price !
comment by Rusty
on Sunday, December 18th, 2005 at 8:06 pm
Right on! Well said. I was infuriated when I read the news blip in today’s Austin American-Statesman about how it’s an anti-commercialism statement. ARGH.
Glad you guys put this up.
comment by Santy Claus
on Sunday, December 18th, 2005 at 8:22 pm
Hello from Auckland, New Zealand, the international home of Santarchy!!!
Despite the moodiness on national radio over here, I assume you lot are stoked at the free publicity!
Santarchy in Auckland has been going for 6 years over here, and rather than being clueness idiots, we are hunky and sensible and it was more a case of a few bad eggs poisoning the eggnog…
There was some major misreporting and chinese whispers. Breaking bottles and urinating under a bridge, became throwing rocks at buses and urinating on cars from an overpass.
The ‘organisers’ as they were, saw little in the way of crime other than one santa attempting to board a foreign vessel by scaling 20 metres along a rope 60 feet in the air. The difficulty and motor skills involved in this task alone should be a defense in itself of being “drunk” and “disorderly”.
We expect to be fully vindicated by a documentary screening on Sky One in New Zealand on Christmas Eve.
We would certainly appreciate a little more unity and understanding between Santas and ask not to be judged on the behaviour of a few.
Lots of love,
Santa…
pingback by Laughing Squid » Santarchy!, Now With Blog
on Sunday, December 18th, 2005 at 8:30 pm
[...] I’ve recently re-launched the Santarchy! website as a blog, using WordPress of course. It was just in time for the Auckland, New Zealand Santarchy controversy. [...]
comment by King of Scrumpies
on Sunday, December 18th, 2005 at 8:34 pm
Head to http://www.muckmouth.com/forum to find out more about New Zealand Santarchy.
pingback by Santarchy! (Santacon) - Blog Archive » New Zealand Santarchy Follow-Up
on Sunday, December 18th, 2005 at 9:08 pm
[...] 1. Santarchy! is an archive only. No Santacon planning is done using this website and we do not have any direct involvement with any specific Santacon event. 2. If you are looking for Santacon planning info, try contacting your local lodge of The Cacophony Society or the Santacon and Santarchy tribes. 3. We do not condone or encourage any kind of vandalism or violence at a Santacon event. Our santas do not destroy property, steal merchandise, harm others or scare children. We have no idea who those clueless idiots in New Zealand are, but obviously they don’t get the point. 4. The annual Santacons are not anti-Christmas or anti- commercialism protest events. Really, it’s just a bunch of santas getting together to have a good time. Those St. Dicks in Auckland decided to missappropriate Santarchy for their own juvenile purposes as a cover story for being lawless asses. 5. We do not provide any stock images or video footage for sale and all images on this website are copyright of their owners. 6. If you came here looking for Chuck Palahniuk, he’s the one drinking cheap tequila over here. Santacon Archives [...]
comment by johnk
on Monday, December 19th, 2005 at 6:36 pm
So what is the message or bottom line here???
trackback by Bill Doskoch: Media, BPS*, Film, Minutiae
on Monday, December 19th, 2005 at 10:30 pm
Woo-hoo: A Santarchy rampage!
This is a catch-up post from the weekend, but if you didn’t hear about the Santa rampage in Auckland, N.Z., please, read on! There’s some new stuff too!
comment by Angelito
on Wednesday, December 21st, 2005 at 7:38 am
I only have one word to describe you!! Criminals
So, your idea of mockery is smashing private property and harassing passers by? Next time you have a Santarchy why don’t you burn some cars, beat any immigrants you bump into as well as smash all bus stations in the main streets??? That’s even funnier, ah???
You should all rot in a cell if you get caught. But then you would whine about “intolerant society” !!!
pingback by Santarchy! (Santacon) » Santarchy History: The Early Years
on Wednesday, December 21st, 2005 at 4:31 pm
[...] santarchy.com initial response [...]
comment by darkhorse83
on Sunday, December 25th, 2005 at 1:25 am
The santas in Auckland is really just an excuse for drunken yobs to dress up anonymously and get in trouble. last year about 40 of them brawled each other on one of the main streets…it’s pretty ugly really
pingback by Santarchy! (Santacon) » New Zealand Santarchy Follow-Up
on Monday, January 2nd, 2006 at 2:00 pm
[...] This comment was left on our previous NZ blog post by one of that event’s organizers: Hello from Auckland, New Zealand, the international home of Santarchy!!! [...]