It began in San Francisco in 1994, inspired by a Mother Jones article on the Danish activist theatre group Solvognen.
In 1974, the group gathered dozens of “Santas” in Copenhagen to hand out items from the shelves of a department store to customers as “presents” before they were arrested
It has since evolved and spread to 44 countries around the world, with varying versions and interpretations. Events were scheduled in 300 cities, including New York City, London, Vancouver, Belfast, and Moscow.
The New York SantaCon is the largest, with an estimated 30,000 people participating.
It has been variously also known as Santarchy, Santa Rampage, the Red Menace, and Santapalooza.