Christmas-lore is filled with all sorts of characters. There’s Santa Clause, Mrs. Clause, elves, Frosty The Snowman, all sorts of other whimsical entities. One understated character associated with the holiday season is Krampus.
With Pagan roots tracing back hundreds of years, Krampus is a horned, cloven-hoofed anthropomorphic being that acts as the “bad cop” to Santa’s “good cop” during the holidays. This weekend, Harvest House in Denton is hosting a special Krampus Fest in honor of the Eastern European Christmas devil.
Taking place in the Halloween capital of Texas, Denton’s Krampus Fest is a scattered tradition in the city. Its Krampus origins were arguably created by Dallas Clifton in 2011, when Clifton donning a Krampus costume on stilts in Downtown Denton Square on Krampusnacht. Rather than punishing naughty children like the traditional Krampus, Clifton opted for a kinder, simpler take on Krampus – handing out gifts to passing children.
Over the years, the Krampus festivities have cropped up in different ways. There was an attempt to ingratiate Krampus into the Denton Holiday Lighting Festival – though angry parents protested and quickly put an end to that.
This year, Harvest House in Denton will host Krampus Fest. Kicking off at 7 pm on Saturday, December 13th, the festival will be a Yuletide horror show complete will feature costumed guests celebrating among 15 local vendors, a live performance by DJ Beelzebarber, food, and drinks. Krampus, of course, will be on-site to take pictures.
Harvest House is a multi-purpose music venue, bar, and beer garden at 331 E Hickory St. just east of Downtown Denton Square. Krampus Fest takes place from 7 pm to 10 pm on December 13.