If you come across a few thousand horned creatures marching their way through the streets of San Antonio on Dec. 5, you should have nothing to fear—if you’ve been good all year.
The mythical European winter beast known as Krampus is indeed frightful. Though the half-goat, half-demon folkloric character is still largely misunderstood in Texas, it is captivating San Antonians who will celebrate its origin story at the second-annual Krampus Parade.
Krampus’ roots trace back to the Alpine regions of Germany and Austria and other parts of Central Europe and he’s said to arrive with Saint Nic himself on Dec. 5. Last year, San Antonio hosted its first parade in the creature’s honor. To the surprise of organizers, thousands showed up to watch 18 krewes march from Blue Star Arts Complex to the Rathskeller, a historic beer hall inside San Antonio’s Hermann Sons Hall.
“I should have realized how much this city loves to throw a party,” Jen Stanford says. She proposed the idea for the parade after hosting a Krampus party at the Rathskeller in 2023, where she had been a volunteer bartender and amateur historian.
Because of last year’s robust turnout, expectations are high for the 2025 parade, which will wind its way through the King William Historic District on Dec. 5. Organizers expect anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 people this year.
Stanford, a technical writer and fifth-generation Texan with German roots, always wanted to celebrate San Antonio’s German heritage by doing “something a little bit different,” she says. “I wanted to start a unique event that wasn’t Octoberfest and wasn’t Fiesta. At some point, the Krampus lightbulb went on. After that first year, I thought it would be great to add a parade.”
Stanford and many of the 100 people who attended her party two years ago knew little about the Krampus legend, but became fascinated as they learned more. One of those people was Bob Crittenden, an acquaintance who volunteers on the Fiesta Commission.
“I didn’t know how something this interesting could have gone unnoticed by me for so long,” he says. With a background in event planning and a growing passion for the whole Krampus mythos, Crittendon not only ended up helping Stanford co-organize the first parade, he was also its first Grand Marshal.
For Texans unfamiliar with the folklore, Krampus accompanies St. Nic, the saint who inspired Santa Claus. St. Nic rewards well-behaved children, Krampus, working in St. Nic’s service, is duty-bound to reinforce good behavior—or, as Stanford puts it, “to encourage kids to at the very least not be bad.”
Krampus achieves this goal by having a classically frightening appearance (usually two sets of horns and a devilish mask with protruding tongue) and using playful punishment tactics. When necessary, it love-taps children (and adults) with a birch branch to invigorate the goodness within. Tradition forewarns that an indefinite timeout inside Krampus’ basket or sack is a possible outcome for really naughty children. It all adds up to create an irreverent addition to seasonal festivities.
For this year’s parade in San Antonio, the 1.75-mile route within the King William neighborhood begins and ends at Beethoven Männerchor, another historic German beer hall with an outdoor biergarten. The parade will begin at 7:30 p.m., with an after-party immediately following. There are more than 30 krewes marching this year; some businesses and residences on the route will host watch parties for what organizers say is a family-friendly occasion.
“It’s all about welcoming everyone into a new San Antonio tradition,” says Juan Arreguin, who portrayed the city’s first official Krampus in 2024’s parade. “I was there to put a good image on what Krampus is. Seeing the children’s eyes, I knew they were having fun, too.”
Rick Lutton, another parade founder, portrayed Krampus’ traditional counterpart, St. Nicholas. “Juan was telling all the kids not to worry because he had his handler here,” he recalls. “That was me. We had a good group of people, mostly from the neighborhood. My grandkids loved it.”
Although New Orleans claims to throw the largest Krampus parade in America, San Antonio’s parade organizers believe their event will surpass that mark this year. Whether that happens or not, all of Texas might soon have a new (old) holiday tradition.
