When Bob Crittenden founded San Antonio’s Krampus Parade in 2024, he probably didn’t imagine being accused of opening a portal to hell. But the uproar surrounding the event has spawned a cottage industry of impish festivities — and a new documentary recounting the wild ride.
The longtime Southtown resident imagined the event as a small neighborhood alternative to more saccharine holiday activities. But after some religious leaders held a press conference condemning the event as “demonic,” the inaugural procession became a circus with an estimated 10,000 spectators drowning out a handful of evangelical protestors.
“If you thought you were going to get sucked into hell, you wouldn't show up. You’d stay at home,” Crittenden said. “But they came because they wanted to capitalize on the excitement that we were creating. As I said in the documentary, critics had the time of their life.”
Local videographer Julian Wagstaff missed the first parade, but he knew a good subject when he saw it. After connecting with Crittenden, he began cobbling together footage for Second Anniversary Krampus, a film covering the lead-up to the 2025 parade and the Streisand effect the hullabaloo created. The documentary is a “dive off into the little universe that [Crittenden] has created,” according to the director.
“I think what provoked [the controversy] was either an intentional or unintentional misunderstanding of what Krampus is,” Wagstaff said. "Krampus is essentially a fictional character like Santa Claus, but over here in America, we only really focus on Santa Claus. We didn't bring over the other half and, for whatever reason, our leading character is interpreted as villainous. But people love Darth Vader. People love Disney villains. Why is this any different?”
Crittenden said the Krampus myth appeals to a variety of people, from mythology buffs to heavy metal fans. Fundamentally, the parade is about having fun, serving as an homage to German influence in the San Antonio area, and embracing gemütlichkeit, or a warm sense of festive togetherness.
And the event’s creator certainly isn’t backing down. The third San Antonio Krampus Parade is set for December 4. It promises even more mischief in the form of Kiko — a riff on local urban legend the Devil in the Dancehall — who is portrayed as Krampus’ primo. And the increasing number of krewes will include a group called the False Flags.
“Yes, we’ve got a protester group making fun of ourselves,” Crittenden said.
Crittenden and his team are also staging several other events, including the Toybox of Terror haunted house October 30-31 at Beethoven Mannerchor, and a pre-Krampus Parade pub crawl on Thanksgiving weekend.
Wagstaff is shopping Second Anniversary Krampus on the film festival circuit, but locals have a chance to see it on October 24. The Beethoven Mannerchor screening will feature door prizes and a panel discussion with cast, crew, and the 2026 parade grand “kaiser-marshal,” Kent Oliver, former owner of the Dakota East Side Ice House. Admission is free for Beethoven Mannerchor members, and $5 for everyone else.
