KRAMPUSLAUF PHILADELPHIA 2013 WILL BEGIN AT 4:30 ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2013, AT LIBERTY LANDS PARK (913-961 North 3rd Street.) (Inclimate weather date SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21.)
here’s what we looked like in 2012 (our “official” video)…
and here’s another great 2012 clip by believe it tour!
oh… and here’s what OUR family looked like… by artist len peralta
krampus became a lot more visible in 2012! krampus holiday stockings, sweaters, even wrapping paper were all seen in the US market. and krampus events happened ALL OVER THE US. there’s not as much need as there was two years or a year ago to explain who krampus is and what he does if you’re not careful! he’s having a heyday.
but if you want to know more about how it goes in philly, read on.
(we also have an FAQ page if you don’t want to read TOO much further.)
the inaugural KRAMPUSLAUF PHILADELPHIA was held on december 10, 2011 at liberty lands park in philadelphia. it was heralded as a wake-up call to krampus culture in a story on national public radio, which was shared over ten thousand times that day. KRAMPUSLAUF PHILADELPHIA was a good bit bigger (more than twice as many attendees) in 2012, with a mix of fun-seekers, hardcore folklorists, history buffs and lots of kids!
KRAMPUSLAUF PHILADELPHIA is a safe, secular, collaborative and noncompetitive event. and for an event with monsters and noisemakers, it’s kind of a quiet thing… and it’s a neighborhoody thing, even though we welcome people from wherever they wish to come. it’s a kid-friendly event, and yet certainly has elements that you won’t find at any gymboree… it’s cold, it gets dark, there are monsters! (although the monsters might be handing out cookies or treats.)
rather than an “entertainment” event, krampuslauf is an example of the power of community ritual — a tableau or meditation — a voluntary village coming together briefly to acknowledge the significance, the necessity, of “darkness” in a season that promotes (however forced) cheer and light. it is a work of art and what you bring to it is what makes it what it is. and we don’t know what that will be!
our krampuslauf has two rules. click here to see what they are.
dress in full costume, or just a pair of horns. (we have a special box of stuff to borrow if you want to get in the spirit at the last minute.) meet up to make a mask, puppet or noisemaker in maker workshops before the lauf… or work on your winter alter-ego at home in private. we welcome your interpretations of krampus, and of what this event can look like and sound like.
or, join our participants group (THIS option provides the most timely, most loquacious updates, AND the invites to maker events throughout the season!)
we will see you there!!


























