[First filed: December 13, 2008 @ 13:44]
A six bar crawl is not one for the ages. It’s a little light and you end up with too much drinking and not enough walking. This is exacerbated when the first bar (Wig and Pen) is at capacity before kickoff time and another (North) is booked out for a private function.
When your crawl has several hundred participants there are limits to what you can do though. The smaller bars just don’t have the capacity for it.
But light as the santa bar crawl may be, there’s just something about hundreds of people dressed as Santa (or very naughty elves) which makes it very special.
Last night was my first one as a participant and I recommend it thoroughly.
Santa outfits are hot things to wear, even light weight cheap ones. They’re rather lacking by way of pockets too, so a smart santa needs a man-bag. But at the end of the day who cares? It’s one night of silly fun with lots of beer.
It was also a chance to re-visit bars like Mooseheads and ICBM which I haven’t darkened the doors of in many a year. It’s a little scary realising just how small ICBM is.
If you missed it, well, only 364 sleeps until the next one.
(Slideshow below)
haha this was a great event, I was constantly mesmerised by the many, many, many santas. It was surely a sight to see. Great photos john, and I agree, pubs were too small and not enough walking. Walking from pub to pub with a conga line of santas in the rain was my favourite part!
Can’t wait for the next one!
i am sad that for the second year in a row my departmental xmas ‘do was slated for the same day as the santa pub crawl – thereby putting me out of contention for attending – as i was trashed by 6pm and putting myself in a cab for home with the last shred of sensibility i had grasp of. it looked like awesome fun (the santa crawl)! boo boo boo.
Maybe next time I’ll smile for the camera :p
SANTA!
It truly was an amazing sight! Just hundreds of santas filling up 3 bars along Northbourne.
But it was quite simply impossible to find anyone I knew – they all looked like Santa! (and hot, red-faced and wasted!)
The absence of red-eye reduction actually works in this instance. The average IQ of Mooseheads patrons must’ve gone up by 100 when the Santas arrived.
I MUST do that next year!
Great photos! Is there any background about how it all began (I love Christmas stories)? Who’s idea was it? Did you see it somewhere else, or is it a clever, clever Canberra idea? (Clever, clever Canberra)
great pics, John, but would it be correct to infer the lack of focus in some photos towards the end of the album is somehow related to your inebriation?
™
I think the idea was hatched by a public servant and propagated through departmental email lists.
Happy to get more detail from anyone who’s got it.
As for the photo, it tends to be blur from long exposure in low light rather than lack of focus.
I took the small durable camera rather than the large delicate one.
I thought it started as Anderson’s Consulting Xmas party and snowballed from there.
So whos who in the RA contingent (other than you JB – that’s an obvious one)?
You’ll just have to show up one day to find out.
I have always wanted to see two Santas go the knuckle. That would be cool.
I have always wanted to see two Santas go the knuckle. That would be cool.
I’m sure you would have seen one or two incidents early Sunday morning if you’d have hung about.
I believe the santa pub crawl happens all over the world… but i could be wrong?
I’ve seen it. Walking along Cricklewood Broadway Christmas 1999. To Santas crashed out of a pub door and wresttled one another to the floor on the pavement. Hilarious.
Sorry. Two Santas.
When I think of a drunk Santa I can never not think of Dan Ackroyd in Trading Places. I love the stashing of the smoked salmon…and the inevitable later consumption. Classic!
Hhahahaha what an awesome night except for the rain and only having one contact lens in. Thanks to everyone who signed the christmas card and wrote many many hilarious things and nice things and naughty things and numbers and i believe one marriage proposal.
Hope you all had fun
Merry Christmas
johnboy I really like the photo of PJ’s window saying ‘Celebrating 10 years of cra’ You could’ve got the p in the photo if you’d tried.
I remember the opening of PJs caused such hype. A few of us Bobby McGees regulars went to see what all the commotion was about (not a heck of a lot) and decided Bobbys was much better.
Pity you couldn’t get into the Wig.
I think PJ’s has had the last laugh over Bobbies.
Yes it’s still open but I doubt people queue to get in anymore. I never know what happened to Bobbys. It was busy in Dec 98 and about a year later, it fell apart. Off topic for a second, do you remember the name of the very cool nightclub next door to antigo near Baileys arcade? It’s now called something else.
Seems the Santa Claus pub crawl needs to book a starting place in 09.
farnarkler said :
Before it became Cube it was called Liquid Lounge.
…just been reading up on this santa pub crawl…it’s all new to me…sounds like a blast…I’ll be there this year…now, where to buy an outfit…