- Title: Bikers in Santa costumes take Christmas ride through Berlin
- Date: 10th December 2016
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (DECEMBER 10, 2016) (REUTERS) MAN DRESSED AS SANTA RIDING MOTORBIKE VARIOUS OF MOTORBIKES ADORNED WITH CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS BANNER READING "SANTA CLAUS ON ROAD PRESENTS BERLIN CHRISTMAS BIKE TOUR - BIKERS HELP THOSE IN NEED" MAN IN SANTA COSTUME SANTAS ASSEMBLING AHEAD OF RIDE CUDDLY REINDEER HEAD ON MOTORBIKE (SOUNDBITE) (German) BIKE RIDE ORGANISER, BERND MASCHE, SAYING: "[There are] around 200 bikers, 250, sometimes more. We are supporting two causes: a soup kitchen for the homeless and charities for disadvantaged children. We have been doing it for 19 years now." SANTA SEEN IN REARVIEW MIRROR SANTAS AND AN ANGEL ASSEMBLING (SOUNDBITE) (German) BIKE RIDE ORGANISER, BERND MASCHE, SAYING: "We want to get into the Christmas spirit for charity. For one day we want to hang up our leathers, make ourselves Christmassy and help the needy." VARIOUS OF DECORATED MOTORBIKES (SOUNDBITE) (German) BIKER, INGO KRAUSE, SAYING: "You have to be a bit crazy, a bit silly. There are some bikers who laugh and say 'oh god, look at that,' But others say 'hey, that's cool.' The point of it all is to collect money for people who really need it. It's nice to really achieve something like that." BIKERS ASSEMBLING (SOUNDBITE) (German) BIKER, BIRGIT KETZENBERG, SAYING: "I've got goosebumps looking at it all. We'll see how it all goes; I think it's going to be really fun." VARIOUS OF BIKE RIDE BEGINNING SPECTATORS
- Embargoed: 25th December 2016 15:47
- Keywords: bikers motorbike Santa Father Christmas costume ride charity
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA0015CAV6FT
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A group of bikers swapped their leathers for Santa costumes on Saturday (December 10) for a festive ride through Berlin.
The Berlin Christmas Bike Tour takes place every year to raise money for charity while bringing some festive cheer to the German capital.
The event's organiser Bernd Masche said that the tour has been attracting around 200 bikers each year since it began 19 years ago to raise money for the homeless and underprivileged children.
"We want to get into the Christmas spirit for charity. For one day we want to hang up our leathers, make ourselves Christmassy and help the needy," Masche told Reuters.
The Christmas costumes are not limited to the riders: their motorbikes were also adorned with cuddly reindeer heads, tinsel and miniature Christmas trees.
"You have to be a bit crazy, a bit silly. There are some bikers who laugh and say, 'oh god, look at that.' But others say, 'hey, that's cool.' The point of it all is to collect money for people who really need it. It's nice to really achieve something like that," Ingo Krause said before the ride began.
This year's ride was raising money for a local soup kitchen and a youth charity. The organisations submitted "wish lists" of everyday things they need, from food to entertainment devices, that the donations will be used to buy. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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