Krampus Fest

Calling all naughty girls and boys! Celebrate Krampusnacht at the Historic Brookdale Lodge on Tuesday, December 5 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. This is a parade and pagan pub crawl for those over the age of 21.

A mythical figure in Central European and Eastern Alpine folklore, Krampus appeared during the Advent season to strike terror into the hearts of naughty children (and adults) who were looking at getting more than just a lump of coal in their stocking. This half-goat half-human creature had a towering, hairy body, curved horns, one cloven foot, the other human, and a snarling visage with a snake-like tongue. According to Susan Bell at the University of Southern California, Krampus dates back to at least the Middle Ages and traditionally carried “a ruten bundle, or birch rod, to whip those who have misbehaved and chains to bind those who have strayed from the straight and narrow.”

Sounds positively pagan! Wear your horns, your fur, your utterly earthy Gothy best and join the well behaved – and not so well behaved – in a lively evening of ceremonial goblet emptying on the traditional day when St. Nicholas and Krampus convened in the homes of the villagers to sort the naughty from the nice.

This festival is the brainchild of local Santa Cruz Mountains’ Lisa Rosato and Janel Greenland. Janel said that she and Lisa were a little sad that Halloween was over, so they decided to create Krampus Fest for everyone who would love an opportunity to dress up and delve into the mythical pagan roots of this spiritual season.

No cover. Learn more about Krampus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus