Brides of March Is the SantaCon You Actually Wanted

"The Brides of March, which took over North Beach on Saturday, shares exactly one thing with its red-suited cousin: both were born from the Cacophony Society, San Francisco's legendary band of merry pranksters. Both involve costumes, both involve drinking, and both involve processing through the streets of this city looking absolutely unhinged."

"SantaCon, for all its anarchic charm, has spent three decades evolving from agitprop prank to, as Adriana Roberts once put it in these pages, a reputation for being an annoying Christmas-themed Halloween for drunk straight people. The Brides of March, by contrast, is what happens when you take the same anarchic DNA and let joy be the point."

"The brides gathered in Washington Square Park in front of Saints Peter and Paul Church, and I use the word 'brides' loosely and lovingly: all genders, all ages, all manner of thrift store gown. Some dresses were pristine. Some were held together by optimism. Everyone looked incredible."

The Brides of March is a San Francisco street celebration that shares origins with SantaCon through the Cacophony Society, but diverges significantly in purpose and character. While SantaCon evolved from agitprop prank to a reputation for drunken chaos, the Brides of March channels the same anarchic DNA toward joy and celebration. Participants gather in wedding attire of all styles—from pristine dresses to thrift store finds held together by optimism—representing all genders and ages. The event took over North Beach on a gorgeous Saturday, beginning in Washington Square Park in front of Saints Peter and Paul Church, with organizer Jenneviere Villegas leading the festivities.

Read at The Bold Italic