SantaCon will start at noon on Saturday, 10 December from the East and West:

Bang! Bang! Pizza in Shuangjing
Rm 103, Bldg 24, Hopson International Park apartments, Shuanghuayuan Nanli Area 3, Shuangjing, Chaoyang District
North of Fulicheng; Northwest of the Renaissance Hotel; just up from the Huaxia Bank
朝阳区光华北一街, 合生国际公寓24号楼
富力城西北方, 华夏银行北边
t: 8776 4533 // 136 0100 0343
Map

Pyro Pizza in Wudaokou
Basement, Building 12, Huaqing Jiayuan, Wudaokou, Haidian District
Just southeast of the Wudaokou elevated train stop; next to the 7-11
成府路, 华清嘉园12号楼B1层
五道口城铁站西南边
t: 8286-6240
Website // Map
Lastminute Santas can buy Santa suits at Pyro Pizza on Saturday. 100% of suit proceeds will be donated to charity. Limited number of suits available.

Pick a spot. After carbo-loading, east side and west side Santas will unite into one jolly group and spread joy together.

Busy in the afternoon? Don’t fret — SantaCon lasts until the late evening, so get the mobile number of a Santa en route or sign up for text updates before tonight midnight. We will be updating our locations en route, so check our Twitter, Foursquare feeds. We love technology!
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bjsantacon
Foursquare: http://foursquare.com/bjsantacon

Musical treats and a decadent midnight final party spot await along the route for good Santas.

Suit up! Layer up! Bring a subway card (more advice)! Ho ho ho!

Santa’s Rule Number 1: Santa looks like Santa. Holiday apparel is mandatory. A Santa hat is not enough. Get a Santa suit. Buy a Santa suit. Make a Santa suit. Get creative: be a Secret Santa, Tang Dynasty Emperor Santa, Panda Santa, Candy Cane, Christmas Tree, Reindeer, KTV Elf, a Chanukah Chicken.

Where does Santa shop in Beijing?

• International superstores like Carrefour, Walmart usually have a few suits available. One Santa reported seeing one in Olé (Raffles branch in Dongzhimen) last weekend.
• Wholesale markets like Jin Wu Xing Market (金五星百货城) or Tianyi Market (天意市场) are good sources for holiday apparel.
• Costume rental shops, like Huan Run Costume Rental (寰润服装租赁) have Santa suits, elves, reindeer costumes for those who don’t want to commit to buying.
• If you order asap, Taobao sellers can ship suit, beard and other festive goodies in time for Saturday’s festivities.

So suit up, wear layers so you’ll be comfortable anywhere from the North Pole to the stripper’s pole and small gifts from the nice and naughty (check out Santa’s Advice for more tips)!

Starting locations will be announced this Friday at noon.

What do Santas do on SantaCon?

• Santas roam around Beijing.
• Santas spread good cheer.
• Santas give gifts to good boys and girls.
• Santas let people sit on their laps.
• Santas look like Santas (check out the rules).
• Santas make refreshment stops at the city’s finest bars.
• Santas sing special carols.
• Santas decide who is naughty or nice.
• Santas may attempt performance art (no Santa Freezes this year, we promise).
• Santas dance their stockings off at our face-melting end of the night destination.

You can be Santa. Learn about SantaCon and join the merriment! The more you put into SantaCon, the more you will get out of it, so make sure you read the rules and advice.

Check back for more updates here or via Twitter. Back to the workshop!

Special ho ho ho goes out to the naughty Beijingers who donated their coal money to help heat a school for migrants workers’ children. Thank you.

Help your fellow Santas re-imagine this joyous day. When uploading photos and video to Flickr, YouTube, Picasa, or other websites, please tag them “Beijing”, “Santacon”, “2010″.

Here are a few which help Santa remember those merry moments:

• Photos via Nomadically Curious Visual Thoughts
• Video via TransparentChinese
• Video via Easy China

Bang! Bang! Pizza in Shuangjing
Rm 103, Bldg 24, Hopson International Park apartments, Shuanghuayuan Nanli Area 3, Shuangjing, Chaoyang District
光华北一街, 合生国际公寓24号楼
t: 136 0100 0343
Map

Pyro Pizza in Wudaokou
Basement, Building 12, Huaqing Jiayuan, Wudaokou, Haidian District
成府路, 华清嘉园12号楼B1层
t: 8286-6240
Website :: Map

Click here for walking directions from the nearest subway stops.
Santa likes pizza. A lot. The east side and west side Santas will merge into one merry crew later in the day, after we carbo-load with drink and food specials offered by our friends!

If you can’t join for the start or get lost, get the mobile number of someone who can help you catch up later. We will be updating our locations and status throughout on route, so check our Twitter feed, add us to your Google Buzz list or sign up for text updates.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bjsantacon (VPN access)
Google Buzz: http://www.google.com/profiles/bjsantacon (without VPN access)

Naughty Santas can make donations towards buying coal to heat a migrant children’s school at both locations. Transform that coal in your stocking into good. Only one day left, Santas!

Carrefour and Walmart
The Christmas sections of these international hypermarket chains usually stock a few Santa suits and reindeer antlers.

Jin Wu Xing Market (金五星百货城)
You’ll find everything from yards of Christmas lights to Santa suits in this massive market. We’ve bought suits from here for the past two years. Beixiaguan (北下关) near the northwest 3rd Ring Road, Haidian by Line 13′s Dazhongsi subway stop.
Map

Toy Market behind Hong Qiao Pearl Market
This market is a good source for those living on the south side of town.
46 Tiantan East Road (天坛东路46号) by line 5′s Tiantandongmen
Map

Huan Run Costume Rental (寰润服装租赁)
If you don’t want to buy a Santa suit, rent from this costume rental shop in Jianwai.
Wanda Plaza, Building 5, 19th Floor (万达广场5号楼19层), between line 1′s Guomao and Dawanglu subway stops.
Website

Taobao
Online shoppers, you still have time to place your order.
Santa suit sellers

Know of other sources for Santa suits? Please let us know and we’ll share your tip on this website.

But don’t despair, naughty Beijingers.You will have an opportunity to transform the coal in your holiday stocking into good. At certain stop(s) along the SantaCon route, you can make a donation towards coal, which will be purchased to heat a school for the children of migrant workers. Winter can be brutally cold and your coal money will provide a more comfortable classroom for these children.

Check back here for more details and donation locations for the coal drive on December 10.

The starting location(s?) will be announced on this website on Friday, December 10. In the meantime, prepare for the big day by checking out Santa’s rules and advice, and practicing these carols (Santa loves to sing. What better way to spread cheer than through song?).

Stay updated on every merry development by following Santa on Twitter.

2010 will be an EPIC year.

Thanks for making SantaCon an amazing day of merriment! Santa’s memory of the day is hazy jumble of singing carols to subway riders, elves skipping across Tian’anmen Square, giving candy to good boys and girls in Gulou, dancing in Sanlitun, and drinking a cocktail or five in Nanluoguxiang.

Help Santa fill in those memory gaps. Share your photos and video of SantaCon by posting them to Santa’s Flickr group and tagging them bjsantacon09.

See you next year.

Remember the Four F’s of Santa’s Rules? No vandalism, property destruction, violence, theft or other criminal behavior. Santa spreads joy, goodwill and doesn’t get his ass arrested or dragged off by the PLA.

Have fun, but don’t become “that” Santa who requires babysitting all day.

Be nice to kids.

And of course, be nice to the bar staff and they’ll be nice to you.