How to survive Wollongong's Santa pub crawl on a red-hot Saturday

The 48-year-old from Port Kembla says the event, now officially titled the SantaFest Pub Crawl, has been a constant in his life. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

"It is just a brilliant day. And having seen it grow from day one has been a wonderful thing," Brendon said of the event organised by his buddy Neil Webster.

Thanks to his "event longevity", Brendon is the ideal insider qualified to provide SantaFest tips for newcomers.

His top tip is no surprise with the temperature expected to nudge 40 degrees on Saturday.

"Drink water - and plenty of it," Brendon said. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with pacing yourself."

Officially the day begins at midday at a number of locations and continues long into the evening, with more than a dozen involved all up. Hence the suggestion for a strategic approach.

Number two on the tip list is the all-encompassing: look after your mates.

"It's a day that's all about having a good time and that's what friends do - keep an eye on each other."

The event gives the group of mates who have witnessed that exponential growth since 1993 a reason to reunite annually. And that's exactly what will happen on Saturday.

Brendon and more than a dozen of those friends will help out setting up, some bringing their own teenagers so the tradition can continue as original pub-crawlers grow older and life takes them in different directions.

Number three sits nicely alongside the others: bring a good attitude.

"Yes, it's a pub crawl but it's also a charity event.

"There's nothing better than the high fives and smiles from random strangers during the day," Brendon said. "And that just comes down to attitude and everybody being aware that there's a lot of people wanting to enjoy themselves, too."

Up to 8000 people are expected to join in the festive fun, with proceeds going to a number of charities, among them the Salvation Army Illawarra and the Disabled Surfers Association.

And while the benficiaries may be local, the event itself has global notoriety.

It made to an international "pub crawl bucket list" more than 10 years ago, alongside Boston's historic Freedom Trail pub crawl and London's Monopoly board pub crawl, which takes revellers to 26 streets and stations featured in the game.

Then known as the the Santa Claus Pub Crawl it brought ''the joyous Christmas spirit to the pub crawl scene with festive fancy dress and seasonal cheer galore''.

And long may it continue, says Brendon.