Christathon X: the Tenth Year of London’s Jesus Pub Crawl

On Easter Sunday, April 16, a group of Jesii – which we are assured is the correct plural – shall descend upon a sequence of biblically-named pubs to bring beer and merriment to the populace. You are welcome to come along to this flash-mob charity pub crawl that has taken place every Easter since 2008.

The Facebook event reads: “A biblical alternative to the typical toga party, Christathon is a unique twist to a pub crawl especially for Easter. The flash mob event involves donning a Jesus costume, casually strolling around London and stopping at a number of biblical named pubs for a tipple along the way.”

Is this a controversial religious statement?

The page features some memes that slightly push the boundaries of taste, mainly referencing the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, but states: “Aiming to astound not offend, the event is all for a good cause as all participants are asked to make a small donation for charity.”

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. These biblical boozers take the view that if Jesus existed and were watching over us he would actually be a pretty sound guy. This event is just a bunch of people dressing up and having fun for a good cause without hate or division. If the world finds fault with that then it needs to change its priorities. Sceptics should also note the critique of the two-dimensional Western depiction of Christ as a white European man. This group embraces everyone in homage to the true meaning of Christianity.

The Route

The crawl begins at The Trinity beside Borough tube station at 1.45pm and carries on until closing time as even Jesus can’t extend last orders.

From here the gathering proceeds to the George Inn, a National Trust property that is one of only two remaining 17th century coaching inns in London.

After this the biblical gathering takes to the Northern Line to hit the West End with pubs in Holborn and Covent Garden. This year organiser Farhan Rasheed, a anarchistically-inclined Durham graduate, is looking to fit in 10 pubs to mark each year Christathon has taken place. The route ends at Whitehall’s Silver Cross when an inebriated path home can be a strange experience separated from the flash-mob.

Your Own Personal Jesus Style Guide

A number of backup costumes are carried for anyone who joins the event unprepared. That means the standard of dress is actually fairly low and so even bed sheets and trainers are not a long way off.

Whether you grow it or buy it, hair is pretty essential here and a crown of thorns is a useful accessory. The toga generally consists of either fancy-dress shop polyester or a generic white sheet with a red sash. Few go so far as to consider footwear but that offers a chance to stand out with sandals. Beads are also a nice addition as well as any facial hair you can cultivate in time.

There is also the option of exploring 21st century Jesus who might wear a white tuxedo with sequined shoes and jewellery. Others have gone so far as dressing as God while plenty of women opt for various depictions of the Virgin Mary. Veteran attendees recall one particapant who came in a Dalmatian onesie as “Dyslexic Christ: the Son of Dog.”

-Stewart Vickers @VickHellfire

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