Updated with information on the SantaCon Pub Crawl, also held on Sunday.

Shoppers, walkers and diners were treated to a surprise head-turner event Sunday evening as a mob of Santas and other festively dressed revelers marched up Main Street singing seasonal favorites and spreading cheer to all.

The group was part of SantaCon, a loosely organized event that depends on grassroots support. While it’s been happening for years in cities and towns around the globe, it never quite made it to Edmonds – until now.

There were two separate SantaCon events in Edmonds Sunday. One was a SantaCon Pub Crawl, organized by a group of 10 couples from an Edmonds Moms Meetup — spearheaded by Rebecca Taylor and Mindy Brown — that started with brunch at Fire and the Feast, followed by visits to some local pubs.

The other event was coordinated by Jewel Hagen, with Santas gathering mid-afternoon at Brigid’s Bottle Shop. “There was no real organized effort to spread the word and get it formalized – that would be out of keeping with the tradition of SantaCon,” she said. “We’ve been spreading it by word of mouth for a few weeks now, and just look at all the Santas who showed up!”

By 4 p.m., more than 25 had gathered, and the mood quickly became increasingly festive with every new arrival. Most were dressed as traditional Santas, but there were also elves, reindeer, canines, a few grinches and even Ebeneezer Scrooge himself. The group then marched from Bridgid’s to the City of Edmonds holiday tree, where they posed for a group photo.

“I’m looking forward to this becoming a tradition,” added Hagen.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel