FranCon returns.
The Halloween-adjacent party where attendees dress up as the iconic New York City curmudgeon is back at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge in the East Village for its fourth year in a row on Thursday, Oct. 24.
“It’s inspired by the idea of SantaCon, where everyone dresses up the same and drinks, just not as much,” said host and co-founder Jane August.
“Everyone will be drinking as – sorry, dressing as Fran Lebowitz with her blazer, jeans, and button-up shirt. Everyone knows the look,” she said.
Lebowitz, an author who was the subject of Martin Scorsese’s 2021 docuseries “Pretend it’s a City,” is known for her strong opinions, many of which are about life in New York City.
Although Lebowitz doesn’t drink, August pointed out, that doesn’t matter — she isn’t invited to FranCon to begin with.
“People ask me, is she coming? No. Do you want Fran to come on your podcast? No,” August said. “I think we need to live our lives completely separately.”
August hasn’t decided which iteration of Lebowitz’s look she will be sporting this year. Last year, she changed things up with a green blazer. This year, the party’s co-founder Micaela Fagan is considering a tuxedo.
August said that last year’s edition, the biggest since the party launched in 2021, had Frans ranging from their early 20s to their early 70s, with several East Village locals in the crowd.
There will again be a “take one, leave one” book exchange at the bar during the party, inspired by Lebowitz’s love of reading and books, August said.