SF INDIE FEST 2026 REVIEW! I’d never heard of Santacon until watching Seth Porge’s Santacon. It’s an annual event in New York City, where rabble-rousers and drunkards dress as Santa Claus and cause frat-boy mayhem. The question that the documentary asks is how this all began, and most importantly, why?
Santacon began in the 1990s in San Francisco. Burning Man co-creator John Law was a member of the San Francisco Cacophony Society, which was already creating mischief with “Santarchy,” a street spectacle where a swarm of Santas appears out of nowhere to confuse the public and short-circuit normal life. It ultimately turned into a massive Santa pub crawl, though it was originally meant to be a disruptive, semi-choreographed form of chaos. The film considers that this may have been the first iteration of a flash mob.
As the movement grew, it drew law enforcement’s attention and was often shut down. For many, being part of a mob of Santas gave them the power to confront the rich and affluent by entering their spaces and throwing a peaceful restaurant meal off-kilter, but as organized as it tried to be, it was also deeply unorganized. The night culminated in the “lynching of Santa,” which wasn’t well received in the community. Soon, the chaos of Santas spread to other cities, including Portland, where the Cacophony Society offered its leaders some support. It moved to Los Angeles, where it fizzled because a mob of Santas didn’t feel subversive. Then, finally, it landed in New York, where it still runs today.
“…an annual event in New York City, where rabble-rousers and drunkards dress as Santa Claus and cause frat-boy mayhem.”
Santacon, the movie, highlights what’s insane about Santacon, the event: how relevant it feels now, even though the roots of this thing go back decades. One can’t help but notice how it parallels modern protests. It’s not that Santacon was the forerunner of the modern protest movement, but it reflects a mindset that shows how a movement can take on a life of its own. Many of the themes come from watching John Law create culturally subversive events, only to see them drift from their original vision. The film is a must-watch for that reason alone.
The movie features interviews with many of the founders, leaders, and instigators, describing the feelings and thought processes behind Santacon’s creation and what was going through their heads when it all went down. As a student of human behavior, I find the documentary to be full of treasure and insight into the world today. The film is also impressive because it captures the heart of the movement in the 90s, when social media was not a thing. Organizers and participants had the foresight to bring along a VHS camcorder and record everything. Otherwise, all this gold would have been lost.
Look, I’m a rule-of-law kind of guy, but Santacon walks us down a different path. Porges lets viewers in on the fun, as we observed the subjects getting drunk while being part of something bigger than themselves. Then we can sit back and just watch it go out of control.
Santacon screened at the 2026 SF IndieFest.
"…a must-watch..."
