Ready or not, SantaCon is back this weekend in Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Bay Area is getting ready for an invasion of red. The 24th annual SantaCon is getting to hit the streets Saturday, thousands of Santas out to party.

Bars near San Francisco's Union Square are gearing up for the invasion of thirsty Santas.

The Golden Gate Tap Room will have extra security and provisions ready.

Some say they never miss the annual pub crawl.

"It's a family tradition giving out candy, it's a good year to come out for SantaCon, we need it right now," said Joel Castro from Walnut Creek.

San Francisco's Recreation and Parks Department denied a permit for the SantaCon event for Union Square because the holiday tree and ice rink already attract so many visitors. Despite that, the SantaCon Facebook page says the event is still on for Saturday.

Not everyone is happy to see Santa.

A sign tells Santas they are not welcome at Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Café in North Beach. In year's past, SantaCon got ugly chasing regular customers away.

"It's good for people in the neighborhood have a safe haven to go where it's not going to be filled with crazy drunks," said Manager Jim Sorenson.

Grant Avenue will be closed to traffic to keep party-goers safe.

The San Francisco Police Department plans to have extra officers on duty for the event.

If you're planning on going to SantaCon, tag your photos and videos on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook with #abc7now.