Santacon 2016: Merry Santas take over London in worldwide Christmas parade

Tom Powell11 December 2016

A legion of Santas ran riot in London’s streets today as the festive pub crawl ‘Santacon’ returned to the capital.

Hundreds of revellers donned furry red suits and white-trimmed hats for the raucous parades through streets and parks across London.

Five routes were organised in all corners of the city from midday onwards to celebrate the start of the festive season, with plenty of pubs on the way.

The roughly four mile long walk is described as a “non-profit, non-political, non-religious and non-sensical” Christmas parade.

Santacon London 2016: Revellers hit London's streets dressed as Santa

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The event stated: “There’s no particular reason to dress up in Santa suits, run around, give gifts, sing songs, have strangers sit on our laps and decide who is naughty or nice.

“But it’s a lot of fun so Santa does it anyway!”

Pictures from the parade in Camden, north London, show revellers drinking whiskey and larking about on luggage trolleys, singing songs and dancing en masse.

In other locations santas were seen dancing in the streets outside pubs and playing games in parks.

A Christmas-themed afterparty is taking place at the Piccadilly Institute in Piccadilly Circus from 5pm until the early hours.

This year also saw the introduction of a children’s route with “less walking than traditional Santacon routes” and a picnic stop.

Santacon also takes place in some 300 towns and cities around the world, from New York to Moscow and Hanoi to Durban.

The Met police tweeted a warning to Londoners: "If you are taking part in @londonsantacon today in #London enjoy, keep your belongings safe and look after you elf and friends."

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