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In New York City, 30, 000 rowdy Santa Clauses are coming to town, but police, bar-owners and community organizers are fighting back. Reuters

Updated Friday, 6:17 p.m.:

L.E.S. Dwellers, the community group fighting to keep the SantaCon participants from entering the Lower East Side, sent a press release saying the SantaCon route will now skip that neighborhood.

“Our community of residents and businesses have successfully worked to keep the official Santa Con route from going through the Lower East Side, ” said Diem Boyd, the group’s founder, in a statement. “We will not be immune to the drunk and rowdy crowds who have swarmed the neighborhood in the past. We expect some Santas will deviate from the route into the Lower East Side. Hopefully, event organizers and the NYPD will keep participants on course to reduce the negative effects on residents and communities.”

Original Post:

If you plan on being naughty this weekend, you won’t have to worry about Santa Claus checking his list - he’ll be too drunk.

Saturday is the annual SantaCon in Manhattan, the dreaded descent of an estimated 30, 000 unruly, costumed bar-goers. The clamorous confab has long been an annoyance to local residents, particularly those who live in the areas of Manhattan most affected by the legions of red-hatted hooligans clogging up subways and vomiting and urinating in the streets.

But this year New Yorkers are fighting back. In November, police precincts in Hell’s Kitchen, where the Santas have traditionally begun their wobbly jaunt through the city, urged local tavern keepers not to serve SantaCon participants who appear to be inebriated. Many bar owners in the neighborhood agreed.

In response to the backlash, the Santas have reportedly decided to meet up in the Lower East Side this year. (The exact route is kept secret until the night before the event.) But bars and community organizers in that Lower Manhattan neighborhood say they have no intention of taking the Santa onslaught lying down.