24 hours before the Facebook event says to meet, the location changes from TBA to Olvera Street, Los Angeles, California and hundreds of Santas start to prepare for their journey. I arrive in slight confusion, but after finding somewhere to park I caught a small stream of Santas leading me to the spot. The crowd grows from 20 to 120 and soon the swarm of red and white is off headed to the Metro with casual onlookers waving and honking. I knew I could only follow the parade for a couple stops before heading back because later that night I had to get all the way down to Laguna Hills for a high school football state semi-final game. This led to the most stressful day of the year, but it was worth it for these photos!
The first stop was surprisingly non-alcoholic, but still filled with joy. Grand Park with City Hall as the backdrop had been transformed to a palm tree-filled North Pole fit with reindeer games including Santa pyramids, a Wreath Toss, and Hungry Hungry Santas. What was interesting was simply the sheer variety of Santa costumes and how well each person worked to add their own personal flare to their outfit. Once the Santas had had enough fun I started hearing the familiar phrase, “Ok, I’m ready for a drink!” With that, the pack was off again. The second stop certainly included alcohol which easily gave each Santa their infamous rosy cheeks. I stayed for a couple rounds, snapped some photos and chatted with the crowd before beelining it back to Orange County (injesting photos from my passenger seat as I drove).
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