Krampus is returning to Alamo Metropolis, and he is aware of tips on how to deliver the social gathering. The organizers of 2024’s controversial San Antonio Krampus Parade are throwing a masquerade pachanga at The Good Type on April 21 to open the Fiesta season.
The occasion, not formally related to Fiesta, will likely be a fundraiser to maintain the now-yearly custom in mischief. Whereas planning the shindig, grand marshal Bob Crittenden says he drew connections between the European Yuletide legend and native lore.
“We had a tough time determining why Krampus could be right here throughout Fiesta,” he shares. “However we occur to have a neighborhood legend often called the Satan within the Dancehall.”
In that story, a younger girl is compelled to bop with El Guapo Extranjero (the good-looking stranger), solely to find his true type by peering at his cloven hooves — or rooster toes, relying on the telling.
“Who’s to say they’re not associated,” says Crittenden. “Krampus was so busy throughout Christmas, he didn’t get to fulfill his cousin.”
Rick Lutton as St Nick with Bob Crittenden, Grand Marshal.Picture courtesy of Bob Crittenden.
As detailed in San Antonio tabloid Occulto, Kiko is colluding with a gaggle of brujas to tug Krampus by means of a portal into Fiesta. A dance efficiency on the occasion will re-enact the touching household reunion.
The pachanga may even function reside music, headlined by Tex-Mex punk band Piñata Protest and second-line band Bexar Brass. Naturally, there will likely be two parades on the venue.
Crittenden mentioned revelers can even count on numerous meals vehicles. Some will provide conventional treats like rooster on a stick and elotes, whereas others will serve Asian fusion and lobster rolls.
Medal collectors can even add some new baubles to their assortment. One glow-in-the-dark pin reads, “Krampus is my primo;” the opposite sports activities the parade’s emblem.
After the gathering dies down, the procession will head to Southtown 101 for an afterparty that includes Krampus drag performances.
The December 2024 parade prompted a hullabaloo in San Antonio, drawing the scorn of some native spiritual leaders, who warned in a press convention that the parade would “open a Satanic portal.” Regardless of these dire warnings, the occasion drew between 8,000 and 10,000 marchers.
One of many Fiesta medals pays homage to the familial ties between Kiko and Krampus.Picture courtesy of Bob Crittenden
Crittenden characterizes the parade as cheeky enjoyable.
“Krampus was part of my general curiosity in folklore,” he says. “Once we are younger, I believe all of us are instructed fairy tales, and we fall in love with them.”
San Antonio Krampus Parade on April 24 runs from 6-10 pm at The Good Type, 1127 South St. Mary’s St. Tickets, accessible on-line, vary from $42.50 to $75. The organizing krewe, the Valkyries von Krampus, encourages friends to put on costumes mixing Fiesta gear like flower crowns with Krampus equipment like horns.
Bob Crittenden reveals off a prototype for his Fiesta costume.Picture courtesy of Bob Crittenden.
