Photo: QueensPost
Dec. 14, 2012 By Christian Murray
Hundreds of Santas are going to be lining the streets of Sunnyside next Saturday as they participate in the neighborhood’s first ever Santathon/pub-crawl.
Ten bars along—or near—Queens Blvd are putting on the festive event, where attendees will go from bar-to-bar being offered $3 drinks. Participants will be required to pay $10 for a wristband and wear a Santa costume (or at least a Santa hat) to participate.
The pub crawl will begin at 1:00 pm and go until late. Participants are able to begin their journey at any of the bars but must follow the order of Santa’s route. That order is: Bar 43; PJ Horgan’s; Maggie Mae’s; Arriba Arriba; The Courtyard; Bliss Street Station; Sidetracks; McGuinness Bar, The Gaslight and Molly Bloom’s.
The $10 wrist bands can be bought at any of the bars—from now until the time of event. The proceeds will be donated to three local children’s charities.
Nick Murphy, the co-owner of Bar 43 & Grill, said that more than 360 people have said they would participate in the Dec. 22 event—through Facebook. “We really want this to be a big event.”
The bars have been talking about getting together and organizing pub crawls like these for some time. However, a recent charitable event put on by the local bars & restaurants for the victims of Sandy (RUSH), helped reignite the idea.
“It’s a case of having 10 bars–each with their own marketing power–and combining them for a great community event as well as charity,” Murphy said.
The 10 bars participating in the Santathon are in the midst of forming a collective group called Sunnyside Boulevard Bars. The group has had three meetings and is likely to have monthly meetings going forward—as a means to promote the neighborhood and events.
