KRAMPUS AMERICA
Save the Date
Krampus America Convention
The first gathering of its kind — Krampus groups, mask carvers, folklorists, and performers from across the country, together for two days of scholarship, craft, and community under one horned roof.
Reserve Your SeatTwo Days. One Tradition. A Whole Country of Ways to Practice It.
Krampus has taken root all over America — in city parades, backyard walks, German-American clubs, and brand-new troupes still figuring out their first costume. This convention brings that whole spectrum into one room: the historians who trace where the tradition came from, the performers building it night after night, and the newcomers ready to start. Two days of presentations, panels, and hallway conversations that don't happen anywhere else.
The Program
Presentations & Panels
Presentation 01
Krampus History and Folklore
Al Ridenour
Drawing on The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas, Al dispels common misconceptions, traces the tradition's parallel origins, and lays out how it's practiced today.
Presentation 02
Krampus Video Shorts
Al Ridenour
A quirky reel of footage from European Krampus troupes, Krampus music videos, and news segments — plus a subtitled scene from the rare 1955 German film Der Struwwelpeter.
Presentation 03
Carnival, Perchten, and Krampus
Al Ridenour
A graduate-seminar-style look at how Carnival shaped Perchten and Krampus customs, based on Ridenour's A Season of Madness.
Presentation 04
The Fright Before Christmas
Jeff Belanger
A one-man show, based on Jeff's best-selling book and his PBS special Creepy Christmas, exploring the Yuletide monsters history nearly forgot — Krampus, Belsnickel, Tomtens, Gryla, and more.
Presentation 05
Krampus & Friends: Yuletide Monsters & Expanding Your Folkloric Universe
Onca O'Leary — Richmond Virginia Krampus
An overview of dark and whimsical winter spirits from around the world, with guidance on incorporating their lore responsibly and respectfully.
Presentation 06
Krampus in the United States: Modern Folklore, Experience, and Design
Michael Esordi — Krampus New Orleans
From the co-founder of the Krewe of Krampus: how the tradition is adapted and reinterpreted in the U.S., and how Krampuslauf events can move beyond replication into intentional design.
Presentation 07
Accessible by Design: Building a Parade for Everyone
Diana Esordi — Krampus New Orleans
How the Krewe of Krampus and One Krewe reimagined accessibility as a starting point, not a requirement — from Accessibility Row to community-driven participation.
Presentation 08
Krampus: By Any Means Necessary
Michael Packer — Krampus Indianapolis
For solo performers and total beginners: teaching yourself leatherworking and sewing, building a group from nothing, and getting started with web and social promotion.
Presentation 09
Kramped for Kash
Nicole Pisaniello — Richmond Virginia Krampus
Doing a lot with a little: community networking, costuming on a budget, guerrilla-style walks, and pushing past impostor syndrome.
Presentation 10
Frau Perchta and Women in Krampus
Tania Yager
Folklore and gender through the figure of Frau Perchta, and a look at the women organizing, performing, and reshaping the modern Krampus America movement.
Presentation 11
Monstrous Forms and Subversive Rituals: Krampus, Boujloud, and the Reimagining of Tradition
Heide Castañeda — University of South Florida
An anthropological look at Krampus's resurgence, compared with Morocco's Boujloud traditions, and what both reveal about belonging, resistance, and ritual reinvention.
Presentation 12
The Krampus Documentary
Ryan Rothmaier & Christoph Baaden
A screening and discussion with the filmmakers.
Panel
Mask Carvers Panel
Moderator: Eric Morley
- Stefan Koidl
- Gavin Hughes
- Marco Jurak (tentative)
- Niklas Koller (joining by phone)
Panel
Authors Panel
Moderator: Todd Bogner
- Al Ridenour
- Jeff Belanger
- Gerald Brom
- Tania Yager
Panel
German-American Clubs Panel
Moderator: Michael Tressler
- Todd Bogner — Krampus Verein Pinellas County
- Jim Hofmann — Krampus Verein Omaha
- Jay Vollstedt — American-German Club of the Palm Beaches
- Bob Crittenden — Krampus San Antonio
- Murray Geissel — Vancouver
Panel
Costuming in Warm Weather Panel
Moderator: TBA
- TBA — Krampus Verein Pinellas County
- Les Bell — Krampus Phoenix
- Bob Crittenden — Krampus San Antonio
- Michael Esordi — Krampus New Orleans
Panel
Krampus Wrangling 101 Panel
Moderator: TBA
- Pam Horgen — Krampus Verein Pinellas County
- Michael Packer — Krampus Indianapolis
- Tania Yager — Wild Hunt Vista
- TBA — Krampus Richmond Virginia
See You in St. Pete
Whether you've been walking with Krampus for twenty years or you're still finishing your first mask, there's a seat for you at this table.
Get Your TicketsRegister for the new and improved
KRAMPUS AMERICA REGISTRY!
Now with the ability for you to manage and maintain your own information with simple submission and approval for publication!
List your Krampus event with
Krampus Events Across America
Log in, list, and manage your Krampus events and share with people all across the Unites States and Canada
Register for the new
Costumer & Artist Registry
Publish your work and connect with Krampus customers!
european connection
Learn more about what’s happening with our friends in Europe! Check out the listing of European passes, carvers, costumers and events at the link below!
