Festive revellers have been warned not to urinate in the street, litter or ‘be stupid’ as they don Father Christmas outfits for a Santacon drink-up in the capital.
Hundreds of people descended on London dressed up in their best festive gear and took to the streets on Saturday evening for a pre-Christmas booze up.
Inspired by the event which originated in San Francisco, Santacon is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious and non-sensical Christmas parade which traditionally takes place in London one Saturday every December.
The festivities began at 11am on Saturday morning.
Revellers have been warned not to be ‘that’ Santa, and to not ‘pee in the street’, ‘litter’ or ‘be stupid’.
On the event’s Facebook page, organisers wrote: ‘Put on your best Santa suit and get ready to spread holiday cheer as we sing carols and enjoy some festive drinks throughout the day.
‘Remember to keep it festive and fun by not being ‘that’ Santa. Do make an effort with your outfit, don’t come dressed in just a festive jumper and jeans. Do give out gifts and treats, don’t pee in the street. Do sing carols loud for everyone to hear, don’t be stupid and litter’.
Images show people fully embracing the Christmas spirit with a variety of weird and wonderful costumes on display.
One woman went all out with her costume, which included a full outfit and matching face paint
Revellers were pictured taking part in the festivities which including drinking out of funnels
Despite the cold weather, one man felt brave enough to take his top off as he enjoyed a drink
People have been donning festive gear and taking to the capital for more than 10 years
Images show people dressed up in their best festive gear taking part in the giant pub crawl
One woman had an impressive hair do on display as she celebrated the festive season
People gathered in pubs and bars across the capital as they welcomed in the festive season
Some took their Santa outfits to the next level, including adding tinsel and even antlers
Some people came prepared with their own supply of drinks for the event
The festivities kicked off in style at 11am on Saturday morning as people descended on London
People donned the festive gear as they headed into the capital for a booze up
People can be seen wearing Santa outfits and taking part in drinking activites to welcome in the festive season ahead of Christmas in under two weeks time.
Santacon dates back to 1994 in San Francisco, where it began as a chance for people to dress up as Father Christmas and celebrate the festive holiday.
It was never intended to become an annual event, but it took place again in San Francisco in 1995 with 100 participants turning out to take part.
Since then, it has spread across the globe, going to Portland in 1996, Seattle in 1997 and Los Angeles and New York in 1998, before emerging as an annual event in another 44 countries with varying versions and interpretations.
In 2013, events were scheduled in 300 cities for the first time including New York, Vancouver, Belfast, Moscow and London, where it has become an annual event.
The New York Santacon remains the largest, with an estimated 30,000 people taking to the streets in 2012.
It comes just one day after Brits packed the pubs and clubs of Leeds, Cardiff and Newcastle in a variety of Christmas costumes and jumpers – some with perhaps too much of the festive spirit.
Despite the cold and wintery weather, restaurants and bars were filled to the brim on Friday evening with partygoers keen to kick the Christmas season off in style.
And that revelry and Christmas spirit has spilled over into London once again, with hundreds taking to the streets to celebrate in style.
Some people gathered at the Floating Pocket Park in London to celebrate the festive season
People fully embraced the festive spirit for the event and documented their costumes
In central London, a man dressed up as an elf poured ‘Santa’ a beer through a funnel
One man had a unique take on his outfit, donning his head with bushels of holly
People embraced the festivities, with one woman drinking directly from a wine bottle
A group of women had to adjust their costumes before the headed to their next stop
The town was painted red and white as people dressed up gathered in pubs and bars
Some even came prepared with their own festive cups to match their Christmas creations
One man came dressed to the nines in a festive red suit which he paired with a Santa hat
One reveller took a unique approach, combining his Santa outfit with US President elect Donald Trump
People have gathered across London to take part in the annual festivities