Twelve Bars, One Night And A Very Important Rule: Don’t Start Doing Shots!
Twelve bars in one night. Hundreds of people dressed as Santas, elves and reindeer. And one very important piece of advice: don’t start doing shots! I’ve experienced Hermosa Beach’s 12 Bars of Christmas pub crawl firsthand, and I’ve learned a few things about pacing yourself, navigating packed bars and making it through one of the South Bay’s wildest holiday parties. Here’s my survival guide, complete with a funny video from the festivities.
Originally published in November 2018. Updated October 2026 with additional video, refreshed content and links to PubClub’s current 12 Bars of Christmas coverage.
The 12 Bars of Christmas holiday pub crawl in Hermosa Beach, CA, is an annual event on Friday of the first full week of December. And it’s a party the entire South Bay of Los Angeles attends.
The key to surviving a pub crawl, I have discovered after much research, is to avoid doing shots. Now that doesn’t always work – after all, we’re going to 12 bars! – but at least it holds off the big-time buzz until oh, say about the seventh or eighth bar.
I also drink beer instead of mixed drinks, but that’s not always possible because this pub crawl has various specials at each bar and many of them are cocktails.
So I know I’m doomed before I even have my first sip of any drink. But I also know that I’ll always have a blast because that’s what the 12 bars is for all of us – a Beach Cities blast!
I don’t know the exact number of people on it, but it’s twice as many as most of the smallish bars of Hermosa can handle, so at any given time there are dozens of people scattered around the pier, dressed in red, some sporting Santa, elf or reindeer costumes.
Some people go all out for it costume-wise, and some of the girls really step it up, turning this event into a “whao” hot singles party. More alcohol!
The event has been going on for a couple of decades and this year’s organizer is again Sean Angus. He’s easy to pick out of the crowd: he has the 12 Bars angels with him!
Blame some missing brain cells, but basically it’s because this event is so consistently good year in and year out that I cannot pinpoint any single “do you remember when” time.
My favorite moments are doing a “cheers” with a small group of people and of the times we do the big group “cheers.”
Maybe I’ll have a “best time” memory or moment from this year, either created by me or someone else. What I do know is that all of us will have a great time.
The Nightlife Blogger is the bar columnist for PubClub.com, An award-winning journalist, Kevin Wilkerson has spent more than two decades covering bars, nightlife, destinations and events around the world, always searching for the stories and experiences most travelers overlook. He has been to so many 12 Bars of Christmas pub crawls he lost count.
Next Stops On The 12 Bars Party Bus
• See PubClub’s 12 Bars of Christmas 2026 event calendar listing for the date, time and location
• 12 Bars Of Christmas: What It’s Like In This First-Hand Review
• The Nightlife Blogger’s Take On The 12 Bars of Christmas
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