Santa Con comes to Spokane for first time

Spokane will have its first ever Santa Con Saturday at the NorthTown Mall as part of Northwest Winterfest. The celebration also includes K-Pop music and a German-Fest.

“When we were planning Northwest Winterfest, we wanted to make sure we have something for all age groups,” said event organizer Charity Bagatsing Doyl. “We thought that Santa Con would be a great way to target pre-teens, teens and young adults.”

Doyl said she’s seen Santa Cons in other cities and was inspired to have one here because of the success of Comic Cons. “We know Spokane loves to play dress up,” she said.

Saturday’s event will be from 2 to 4 p.m. The German American Society will present information about the history of Santa Claus and the Concordia Choir will perform. The K-Pop music will be performed during the Santa Con judging.

There are cash prizes of $200 for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for third place in the Santa Con, which is basically a costume contest. The first 200 participants will receive a swag bag.

Santas don’t need to register for the con in advance, but there are a few rules. It’s not necessary to look exactly like a traditional Santa. The theme is red and “unusual interpretations of Santa-ness are often appreciated.”

Still, just putting on a red Santa hat won’t be enough. “It’s a good time to break out that ugly Christmas sweater that’s red,” she said. “Our goal with Santa Con is really to have fun.”

The contest is open to Santas of all ages. The winner will be asked to open next year’s Winterfest.

Many of the Santa Con rules were written with a touch of irreverence, including the one admonishing Santas to not show up drunk or high or be disruptive.

“Remember there is no ‘bail fund’ for incarcerated Santas and if you cross the line you’ll be on your own,” the rules state. “We have security who will immediately cart you away and have the whole thing recorded on video for the evening news and YouTube. Don’t be that Santa.”

There’s also the rule encouraging bribery of the judges. “They love chocolate,” the rules state. “No fruitcake, please, unless you want to be on their naughty list.”

The judges will be from Accurate Insurance, the Spokane Tribe, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Amerigroup, all of whom are sponsors of the event.

This weekend’s event is one in a series of events that started Dec. 7. The holiday cultural traditions of several countries have already been highlighted, including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Vietnam, the Philippines and Mexico.

“It’s been going really well,” Doyl said. “We’ve had a captive audience who come to the mall, then we have some that have seen our ads.”

All the Northwest Winterfest celebrations are free, and most offer some sort of food traditional to the cultures being highlighted. “Really our goal was to have a cultural exchange,” she said.

There are two more Northwest Winterfest events on the schedule. A celebration of New Year traditions will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 28. It will feature traditions from Bulgaria, China, Guam, India, Scotland, Thailand, Uganda, Persia, the Spokane Tribe and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

The final event, a Kwanzaa Festival, is from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 29. There will be dancing, African drumming and a choir.