Sunnyside Santathon returns Dec. 13, bringing revelers to 14 neighborhood bars

Santathon, a popular Santa-themed neighborhood bar crawl, will return to Sunnyside and Woodside later in December, bringing revelers to 14 different bars throughout the neighborhood as part of efforts to raise money for children’s toys this Christmas.

The 15th annual Santathon kicks off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, with participating bars offering a variety of drink specials, including $7 cocktails, $7 glasses of wine and $5 shots. Participating establishments will also be offering $5 beers for the event.

The majority of the participating bars are located along a nine-block stretch on Queens Boulevard and Skillman Avenue, stretching from 40th Street to 49th Street on the two thoroughfares. The Wild Goose, located at 54-20 Roosevelt Ave., and Bar 43, located at 43-06 43rd St., are the only establishments not located on either Queens Boulevard or Skillman Avenue.

Santathon returned last year after a three-year hiatus and will celebrate its 15th year when the 2025 event takes place on Dec. 13. Frank Ziede, the owner of Courtyard Ale House and a driving force in resurrecting the event last year, said Santathon serves the dual function of raising money for children’s Christmas toys and shining a spotlight on popular neighborhood bars.

“It gives a lot of bars exposure,” Ziede said. “It helps to bring the community together.”

Sweet Avenue, which opened at 40-05 Queens Blvd. in 2021, offering a variety of craft beers, will be making its Santathon debut this weekend in the only change to the 2024 lineup, replacing the shuttered Arriba Arriba.

Anyone wishing to participate in Santathon and take advantage of the various drink specials must purchase a wristband, available for $10 at each of the participating venues. All proceeds from wristband sales will go toward buying toys for children this holiday season.

Proceeds from the event will go toward the Floating Hospital, a Long Island City-based non-profit providing healthcare to individuals regardless of financial status; St. Raphael Roman Catholic Church, located at 35-20 Greenpoint Ave.; and Hour Children, a locally-based non-profit helping formerly incarcerated women and their children rejoin the community.

Participating bars will also set up drop-off boxes for new and unwrapped children’s toys over the coming weeks, Ziede said.

He said last year’s event raised around $3,000 in cash for local non-profits to buy children’s toys in addition to a similar amount raised through donated toys.

Santathon also positions itself as something of an antithesis to Manhattan’s SantaCon, Sunnyside bar owners said. SantaCon, which takes place in the city on the same day, has attracted notoriety in the past for being particularly rowdy, with widespread reports of public disorder and some reports of violence.

However, Leo Reynolds, co-owner of McGuinness’s Saloon on Queens Boulevard, told QNS last year that Sunnyside’s Santathon offers a mild-mannered alternative to SantaCon.

Reynolds said the event’s traditional good manners are a key reason behind McGuinness’s participation.

“We wouldn’t do it otherwise, Reynolds told QNS last year. “This is a good-mannered bar crawl.”

Ziede, meanwhile, said he has “never seen an incident” in the 15 years that Courtyard Ale House has participated in Santathon.

“It’s just a good-spirited event and it seems like everyone participates in that regard,” he said.

Michelle Murphy, co-owner of Bar 43, described Santathon as a “great evening of community spirit” during a 2024 interview with QNS.

“The neighborhood shows up in their best costumes and everyone has a wonderful time,” Murphy said.

List of participating venues for the 2025 Sunnyside Santathon: