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Is New York SantaCon canceled amid Covid-19 pandemic? Internet calls it 'best thing to happen in 2020'

'It would not be the worst thing if this never happened again,' a user commented

Santacon, an annual event in which thousands of young people dressed in Santa Claus costumes roam – or stagger – through the streets of Manhattan, has been canceled this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, organizers said. 

The annual ritual, which sees several young people dress up as Santa Claus and take on a bar crawl to raise money for charity, announced on Thursday that rising Covid-19 cases had caused organizers to call off the official event. 

"All of the reindeer got the 'Rona so, the Elves have advised Santa to hold off on the in-person merriment," organizers wrote on their website. “There is no SantaCon NYC this year," they further wrote.

The decision was driven by emergency rules imposed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to control the spread of Covid-19 in the city. Cuomo has also put a ban on public gatherings of more than 10 people, reduced opening hours for bars and restaurants and demanded to serve alcohol alongside a substantial serving of food.

The ceremony, which originated in San Francisco in 1994, came to New York City in 1998, in the event masses of revelers dressed as Saint Nick have flooded Manhattan and Brooklyn and their bars for one Saturday in December. The event is now a tradition in more than 60 cities across the world. Santacon has warned the people, who were waiting for the event, saying don't 'let your Christmas cheer become another's grief' after tradition has become notorious for drunken antics.

As soon as the news made its way to social media people started reacting to it, as one Internet user said, "Truly sad about this (obvious) cancellation. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve done it for the past 3 years in a row and had a blast." While another one wrote, "I didn't know Santacon had slutty Santas till just now, and now I'm mad I never attended"

One wrote, "No antibodies here. No frat-puke in the streets? This really is the best thing to happen in 2020." Another one suggested, "People act like it's an 'organized' event that will just stop happening because bars are closed. #Wearamask "

Another one wrote with laughing emoji, "It would not be the worst thing if this never happened again." Calling the decision a "silver lining" one wrote, "The silver lining of covid is some positive change please stay permanent."