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New Documentary Recasts SantaCon’s Origins as Art Prank, Premieres at DOC NYC

Director Seth Porges mines founders’ home videos to show how a 1990s Cacophony Society prank mutated into a worldwide bar crawl.

Overview

  • SANTACON debuts at DOC NYC on Nov. 13 with additional in-person screenings on Nov. 15 and Nov. 20, and an online run from Nov. 13–30.
  • The film traces the event’s start in 1994 San Francisco as “Santarchy,” an absurdist public-art action by the Cacophony Society.
  • Archival footage spotlights New York City in 1998 as the last outing by the original organizers, capturing playful street antics and broad public curiosity.
  • Interviews recount how splinter chapters, early clashes with police, and late-’90s booze-heavy editions accelerated the shift toward today’s bar-crawl reputation.
  • Founders describe mixed feelings about the evolution but, after revisiting the modern celebration, express acceptance of how new participants have made it their own.