Reports of shots fired at 4th + Jackson Street in Hoboken: Latest updates

The holiday season brings many wonderful things to Hoboken: holiday decorations, delicious treats, general feelings of splendor and nostalgia. However, there is one event in Hoboken that is a little more controversial, and it comes in the form of hundreds of Santas hitting the bars. Love it or hate it, the SantaCon pub crawl tradition has endured over the past decade, leaving many Hoboken locals wondering if it will return in 2024. It has been confirmed that HoHoHoboken, a separate pub crawl event organized by Hoboken bar owners, will return on Saturday, December 7th. SantaCon, organized by national society PubCrawls, will take place on Saturday, December 21st. Here’s what you should know about the two events and what you can expect from each.

Background information on Santa Claus-themed pub events in Hoboken

SantaCon, the annual holiday pub crawl tradition that dates back to the 1990s in New York City, began in Hoboken in 2011. It started as a small gathering of friends dressing up as Santa Claus to support a local cause and has grown into a larger event, with thousands of participants taking to the streets in Santa Claus costumes. Over the years, the event has gained both popularity and criticism due to concerns about public drunkenness and disruptive behavior.

Read more: Holiday pop-up markets + bars in New Jersey for the 2024 season

The New York event takes place around the same time in December every year, often on a Saturday before Christmas. This year’s New York City Santacon will take place on December 14, 2024.

Despite the challenges, SantaCon returned to Hoboken in 2021 and has been held every year since. According to the official Hoboken SantaCon website, SantaCon is coming to Hoboken again on Saturday, December 21, 2024.

HoHoHoboken

In 2022, several local bar and restaurant owners are organizing a new event called Ho Ho Hoboken. This event has a similar premise to SantaCon in that it is a ticketed pub crawl style event. Ho Ho Hoboken will return on Saturday, December 7th in 2024.

Sixteen bars are participating in HoHo Hoboken, including Wicked Wolf, Birch, Black Bear, Texas Arizona, Fat Taco, McSwiggans and The Lola, among others. It runs from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., is open to ages 21 and older, and is ticketed. When ordering a ticket, locals can select their check-in location and then have access to all participating venues for the duration of the event.

HoHoHoboken is not affiliated with SantaCon, so SantaCon tickets or other Santa Claus-themed wristbands are not accepted. The link to Eventbrite can be found here.

Organizers shared The Hoboken Girl Select Hoboken bars are planning a similar bar crawl on December 14th, which will also have tickets available. Details are still being clarified.

Hoboken SantaCon 2024

According to the official Hoboken SantaCon website, the event organized by Pub Crawls will be held again at Mile Square on Saturday, December 21st starting at 10 a.m. The event lists 14 participating venues including Madd Hatter, The Shannon, Wicked Wolf, The Lola and Willie McBrides, among others. It’s worth noting that the official Eventbrite link posted by Pub Crawls lists Mikie Squared as a participating venue, which permanently closed earlier this year.

Shannon and Madd Hatter both confirmed with The Hoboken Girl that they are attending SantaCon this year. HG has reached out to other participating venues and will update this article with further comment.

Learn more: New Christmas pop-up shop “With Love” from Italy opens in Montclair

According to the SantaCon website, all participating bars will receive exclusive event wristbands from Pubcrawls.com, which are priced differently depending on the venue. Ticket holders must check in at their chosen venue and will have access to all other participating bars upon receipt of their wristband.

We will update this article with more details over time. For now, be sure to follow @thehobokengirl on Instagram and TikTok for the latest happenings in Hoboken and Jersey City, and sign up for our newsletter here.