Photos: Santarchy brought Christmas chaos to downtown Phoenix

Santa Claus came to town a little earlier than normal this year, and he wasn’t alone. Countless Kris Kringle look-alikes and other Christmas characters took over bars and nightspots like Phoenicia Music Lounge, Copper Blues and Seamus McCaffrey’s on Dec. 15, during Phoenix Santarchy 2023.

The annual costumed bar crawl in downtown Phoenix, which is organized by the urban pranksters of the Arizona Cacophony Society, involves hundreds of folks dressed as Santa Claus, Krampus and various other characters inspired by the holidays.

True to form, this year’s Phoenix Santarchy featured attendees dressing as polar bears, the Ghost of Christmas Present and even yuletide versions of “Star Wars” characters. Here’s a look at some of the many costumes and merry madcap fun of the event.