Krampus is returning to Alamo City, and he knows how to bring the party. The organizers of 2024’s controversial San Antonio Krampus Parade are throwing a masquerade pachanga at The Good Kind on April 24 to open the Fiesta season.
The event, not officially associated with Fiesta, will be a fundraiser to keep the now-yearly tradition in mischief. While planning the shindig, grand marshal Bob Crittenden says he drew connections between the European Yuletide legend and local lore.
“We had a hard time figuring out why Krampus would be here during Fiesta,” he shares. “But we happen to have a local legend known as the Devil in the Dancehall.”
In that tale, a young lady is compelled to dance with El Guapo Extranjero (the handsome stranger), only to discover his true form by peering at his cloven hooves — or chicken feet, depending on the telling.
“Who’s to say they’re not related,” says Crittenden. “Krampus was so busy during Christmas, he did not get to meet his cousin.”
Rick Lutton as St Nick with Bob Crittenden, Grand Marshal.Photo courtesy of Bob Crittenden.
As detailed in San Antonio tabloid Occulto, Kiko is colluding with a group of brujas to pull Krampus through a portal into Fiesta. A dance performance at the event will re-enact the touching family reunion.
The pachanga will also feature live music, headlined by Tex-Mex punk band Piñata Protest and second-line band Bexar Brass. Naturally, there will be two parades at the venue.
Crittenden said revelers can also expect various food trucks. Some will offer traditional treats like chicken on a stick and elotes, while others will serve Asian fusion and lobster rolls.
Medal collectors can also add some new baubles to their collection. One glow-in-the-dark pin reads, “Krampus is my primo;” the other sports the parade’s logo.
After the gathering dies down, the procession will head to Southtown 101 for an afterparty featuring Krampus drag performances.
The December 2024 parade caused a hullabaloo in San Antonio, drawing the scorn of some local religious leaders, who warned in a press conference that the parade would “open a Satanic portal.” Despite those dire warnings, the event drew between 8,000 and 10,000 marchers.
One of the Fiesta medals pays homage to the familial ties between Kiko and Krampus.Photo courtesy of Bob Crittenden
Crittenden characterizes the parade as cheeky fun.
“Krampus was a part of my overall interest in folklore,” he says. “When we are young, I think all of us are told fairy tales, and we fall in love with them.”
San Antonio Krampus Parade on April 24 runs from 6-10 pm at The Good Kind, 1127 South St. Mary’s St. Tickets, available online, range from $42.50 to $75. The organizing krewe, the Valkyries von Krampus, encourages guests to wear costumes blending Fiesta gear like flower crowns with Krampus accessories like horns.
Bob Crittenden shows off a prototype for his Fiesta costume.Photo courtesy of Bob Crittenden.
