13th Annual Baltimore, MD Santa Crawl
First off, in case you're totally unfamiliar with what to expect on Santa Crawl Saturday (December 4), you need to recognize what happens when 20-50 guys in Santa suits drink alcoholic beverages from 1pm - 2am. Some start late due to other engagements, some finish early due to over-eager consumption. And then of course, some stay for the duration even after consuming too much too fast. We call them rock stars.
The benefit is that a natural flow of the too drunk exiting, and the too sober entering, makes for a great party. Theoretically, a few Santas are thinking clearly enough to prevent the group from committing acts of debauchery or criminality that are beyond the regrettable "it seemed like a good idea at the time."
Let's not forget that Santa Crawl occurs in Baltimore City, which has the highest rates of heroin addiction and STD's in the US. That being said, you DO NOT want to spend any time in the jail, especially while wearing a Santa suit.
The Crawl starts on Pratt St. In downtown Baltimore. You get acclimated to people honking and waving at you in your costume real quickly. The bars have lots of people in them and we're sober, so you just learn to go with it. No reason to be embarrassed after the first 20 minutes. Also, you try and meet a few of the other Santas while you're still sober. You never know how one of these guys might save your life in 8-12 hours.
The Thirteenth Santa Crawl will be held on December 4th, 2004, and will begin promptly at 1:30 PM. Remember that's 1:30 PM for the starting time, and NOT 12:00 or 12:30 PM. Please remember this, 'cuz Santa can look real silly standing by himself in a bar.
The first bar, as always, is The Wharf Rat. It's located on 206 W. Pratt St., and their number is (410) 244-8900. We will be bringing copies of this itinerary and song sheets to the crawl.
Visit www.santacrawl.com for more information
