Phoenix Santarchy returns to Scottsdale in December

Santarchy participants dressed in costume during the 2016 edition of the bar crawl in Scottsdale. Benjamin Leatherman

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Phoenix Santarchy is returning to its birthplace. The annual Santa Claus-themed bar crawl and charity event, where hundreds of participants dress as Kris Kringle or other holiday characters, is moving back to Scottsdale.

Members of the Arizona Cacophony Society, the local countercultural group behind Phoenix Santarchy, announced Tuesday on Facebook that the 2024 edition of the free event on Dec. 14 will take place in Old Town Scottsdale and the city's entertainment district.

Phoenix Santarchy, inspired by Santa-themed bar crawls in other U.S. cities, was launched by the Arizona Cacophony Society in 2007 in Scottsdale, where it ran for nine years and drew thousands of participants.

The concept became so popular that several Christmas-themed bar crawls, unaffiliated with the group, began taking place in Scottsdale during the holidays.

click to enlarge

Santarchy participants dressed in costume in 2016.

Benjamin Leatherman

In 2017, Santarchy left Scottsdale and moved to downtown Phoenix, where it saw smaller turnouts.

According to the Facebook event page for Phoenix Santarchy 2024, the move back to Scottsdale is meant to return the event to its glory days.

“At its pinnacle, over a thousand Santas, Mrs Claus', elves and even Crampi ruled the streets of this fair city for one evening,” the event page stated. “Maybe it's time to try to ramp it back up to those halcyon days.”

Phoenix Santarchy organizers say more details about the event will be announced in the coming weeks.