Calendar, Holiday, Third Street Promenade, Main Street, Santa Monica, Wilshire Boulevard

SANTA Monica Pub Crawl Returns Saturday

Posted Dec. 16, 2011, 12:49 am

Roger Morante / Sports Editor

Several thousand revelers wearing Santa/Holiday attire will take to the streets of Santa Monica this Saturday night for the 3rd Annual SANTA Monica Pub Crawl.

Last year, more than 3,000 people participated in the event that features more than two dozen local bars and restaurants to help raise money and food for those in need through the Westside Food Bank.

This year, crawlers pay a $10 donation/entrance fee for a special wristband, which allows them access to the drink and food specials at each official location, entrance to the Official After Party, and entry into a massive raffle to win dozens of amazing prizes.

The Pub Crawl will include four routes featuring bars on Wilshire, Fourth Street, Broadway, Main Street, the Pier, and the Third Street Promenade.

Rick Lee, general manager of O’Brien’s, said the Main Street route attracted about 600 participants.

“Everybody is usually dressed up as Santa or an elf and they basically go from bar to bar down Main Street, Wilshire, and Abbot Kinney,” said Lee. “We are the sign-in part of the pub crawl for Main Street (and this is where) everyone comes to get their wrist bands. The people who run the pub crawl will be selling the wristbands for the pub crawl at O’Brien’s.”

O’Brien’s will also feature headlining band Ground Zero.

The 2011 SANTA Monica Pub Crawl will begin at 5 p.m.

Genevieve Riutort, Director of Development for Westside Food Bank, said it was honored to be the beneficiary for the annual SANTA Monica Pub Crawl.

“The event engages the entire community, generates awareness about the critical issue of local hunger and helps us provide for meals for local families in need,” Riutort said.

Bars participating in the pub crawl include Angel’s Piano Bar, Big Dean’s Oceanfront Café, Brittania, Cabo Cantina, Circle Bar, Harvelle’s, Joe’s Pizza, Main on Main, O’Brien’s Irish Pub on Main St., O’Brien’s on Wilshire, Pourtal Wine Bar, Rennee’s Courtyard Café, Rusty’s Surf Ranch, Sonny McLeans Irish Pub, South,

V Lounge, West 4th & Jane, Wokcano, Yankee Doodles, and Ye Old King’s Head.

Wristbands can be picked up two ways. They can be picked up at one of the official starting locations along each route between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. the day of the event.

To avoid lines, the second way is to collect wristbands in advance by bringing in a minimum of five canned food items per person to the Westside Food Bank today, Friday Dec. 11, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. It is located at 1710 22nd Street. Santa Monica.

Alternatively, register online at: http://santamonicapubcrawl2011.eventbrite.com/.

The map with the four routes is available at http://santamonicapubcrawl.com/wp-content/uploads/OfficialMap.pdf.