All Of It with Alison Stewart
Episode: DOC NYC: Prepare For "SantaCon"
Date: November 12, 2025
Guest: Seth Porges, Director of the Documentary "SantaCon"
Episode Overview
This episode delves into the wild and colorful history of SantaCon, the annual December event notorious for flooding New York City’s streets with mobs of costumed Santas. Host Alison Stewart interviews Seth Porges, director of the new documentary "SantaCon," premiering at DOC NYC, which unpacks the chaotic, creative, and controversial origins of the event. The discussion explores SantaCon’s anarchic beginnings as a satirical art performance, how it evolved (and arguably devolved) into a worldwide phenomenon, the subcultural forces behind it, and its complicated legacy in New York and beyond.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Surprising Origins of SantaCon
- SantaCon’s Roots ([00:07]-[03:34])
- Originally a political and creative statement—not a citywide pub crawl.
- Began with the Cacophony Society, a post-Dada, anarchic performance group also linked to the creation of Burning Man and inspired "Fight Club"’s Project Mayhem.
- Early events were intentionally absurd, aiming to challenge consumerism and societal norms.
- Not about ownership or brand: “SantaCon itself was never a brand…It was an idea.” (Seth Porges, [14:25])
Quote:
"The original SantaCon was more of a political statement, organized chaos designed to poke fun at the commercialization of the holiday."
— Alison Stewart ([00:55])
Ethos and Intent of the Cacophony Society
- Absurdist, Not Political ([03:34]-[04:59])
- The society’s focus: creativity, fun, collaboration, and orchestrated absurdism.
- Politics secondary to creating “cool, random stuff that would confuse you, that would scramble your brain.”
Quote:
“What they really stood for was this idea that creativity, collaboration, and fun are important things for living a good life.”
— Seth Porges ([04:19])
“It’s About More Santa”: Early Years and Purpose
- Motivations and Symbolism ([05:40]-[07:03])
- Founding members offered cryptic, whimsical rationales ("more Santa").
- Others viewed the spectacle as satire against branding and commercialization.
- The event’s shocking novelty forced public introspection (“tabula rasa” effect).
- Footage reveals: it was the bystanders’ reactions that told the real story—ranging from awe to terror.
Quote:
“You allow yourself to feel surprised, to feel awe, to feel wonder. But when you see it again and again...it just becomes an excuse to get drunk.”
— Seth Porges ([07:32])
Notable Stories: Creative Mayhem and Early SantaCons
- Caller Susie from Astoria’s Memories ([08:32]-[09:48])
- Early events boasted creative costumes, songbooks of “fractured carols,” and playful subway antics.
- Underground, Burning Man-linked culture promoted “amazing creativity [and] shenanigans.”
“Every time you’d get on a subway: Santa’s on the move, Santa’s on the move.”
— Susie ([09:11])
- Portland’s Paranoia and Riot Gear ([10:15]-[11:55])
- Portland’s reaction: literal security panic—Santas met by police in riot gear at a mall.
- Bystanders (and authorities) often interpreted the absurdist events as threats.
Memorable Moment:
“If one Santa crosses the street, we are moving in.”
— Portland police, recounted by Seth Porges ([10:53])
“One of the Santas followed at the mall? Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, embedded with the Santas!”
— Seth Porges ([11:41])
- Caller Dan from Brooklyn ([12:02]-[13:37])
- Emphasized the communal aspect: the best part is “hanging out with your friends before, figuring out what you’re going to do.”
- Example: “elf bowling” with a yoga ball in Central Park—emphasizing playful, DIY fun before commercialized or rowdy versions took over.
- Not all reactions intended nor guaranteed—public unpredictability is part of the Cacophony philosophy.
The Digital Turn: Internet and Viral Spread
- The Internet’s Role & SantaCon’s Diffusion ([14:22]-[15:08])
- The event exploded from city to city once early web forums and e-mail lists carried the idea.
- The loss of central authorship: “Whatever specific personality the original creators put into it became sort of lost in the shuffle as our collective populous ID sort of took over what SantaCon would become.”
— Seth Porges ([15:06])
The Downside: Drunks & Detractors
- The Dark Side of SantaCon ([15:15]-[17:24])
- Ben, NYC Bartender: Bars started banning Santas due to public urination, fights, overall rowdiness.
- Seen as “a day where a lot of white guys who like to dress the same regularly all get together and dress the same and get drunk continuously.”
- Host and guest note shift from creative absurdism to unruly, homogeneous disorder after original creators stopped attending post-1998.
- By the 2010s, SantaCon became the “perennial butt of late night comic jokes.”
Spectacle Collisions: SantaCon Meets Protest
- SantaCon vs. Million Man March ([17:24]-[18:05])
- A listener describes the surreal intersection of the 2016 Black Lives Matter march and SantaCon, with costumed participants weaving through protest crowds—"Only in New York!"
Family Encounters and Childhood Confusion
- Parenting Through SantaCon ([18:12]-[18:48])
- Caller Laura describes her young children's confusion seeing “naughty Santas and blue Santas” in the Meatpacking District; even Michael Stipe (of R.E.M.) was “completely enraged.”
- First Encounters, Coming of Age ([18:58]-[20:05])
- Mary Beth shares that stumbling into SantaCon on her first unsupervised NYC trip as a teen was “shocking and fun," later memorialized on LiveJournal.
Frankenstein’s Monster: Creators Confront Their Legacy
Documentary Climax ([20:24]-[20:57])
- Porges convinced (“maybe even…tricked”) the original Cacophony Society participants to return to NYC and face their “creation” after decades; feelings were “intense, emotional, and…hilarious.”
Social Media & Surveillance: Changes to the Experience
([21:00]-[22:13])
- Early SantaCons: “People weren’t performing for a crowd except the crowd immediately in front of them…they were just being their silly Santa selves.”
- Now: Ubiquity of cameras and online sharing has rendered all actions “performative,” less organic, and riskier for lawbreaking participants.
Quote:
“They were committing crimes on camera. They weren’t self-conscious…they were just being their silly Santa selves.”
— Seth Porges ([21:47])
Notable/Representative Quotes
-
On history and meaning:
“Santacon was created by the Cacophony Society, and they were an avowedly collaborative group.”
— Seth Porges [05:05] -
On societal reactions:
“You see these faces…from joy and wonder to true terror take over people's faces, and I think that was the whole point.”
— Seth Porges [06:03] -
On internet’s impact:
“The Internet…was becoming. The Internet. And so SantaCon itself was never a brand…it was an idea. And with the Internet, that idea spread.”
— Seth Porges [14:25]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [00:07] — Alison Stewart introduces SantaCon and guest Seth Porges
- [02:23] — Origins of Porges’ interest and the Cacophony Society
- [05:05] — The creation of SantaCon and its collaborative founding
- [07:03] — The changing nature of public reaction; focus on bystanders
- [08:28] — Susie recalls early SantaCon creativity
- [10:27] — Tense Portland event and authorities’ reaction
- [12:02] — Dan shares memories of inventive SantaCon fun
- [15:15] — Ben, a bartender, details rowdy modern SantaCon behavior
- [17:24] — Listener crossover between SantaCon and protest march
- [18:12] — Laura recalls children’s confusion and Michael Stipe’s reaction
- [18:58] — Mary Beth’s coming-of-age SantaCon encounter
- [20:24] — The documentary’s emotional climax: originators meet their creation
- [21:03] — Social media transforming the event
Episode Tone & Style
Conversational, irreverent, and at times nostalgic, with a mix of historical curiosity and social critique. The episode moves fluidly between first-person stories, sociological insights, and cultural analysis, echoing the collaborative, unpredictable, and at times unruly nature of SantaCon itself.
Final Thoughts
This episode offers a nuanced portrait of SantaCon—as both anti-establishment art prank and chaotic urban bacchanal—and asks what happens when a subversive idea evolves, for better or worse, into public tradition. The interplay of guests’ memories, bar-stool confessions, and sociocultural reflections makes for a lively, layered meditation on how culture is created, claimed, and sometimes lost.