The GOAT (get it?!) of the city’s holiday market party season returns to The Milk District on Sunday as KrampusFest stomps back to The Plaza Live (425 N. Bumby Ave. in Orlando).
Known for its mass of holiday-season vendors (traditional and twisted), this wonderfully weird gathering goes from 2-9 p.m. — and from nice to just a lil’ naughty, as the free event is suggested for those 18 and older after 6 p.m. That’s when the horns come out.
“KrampusFest is a welcoming event for everyone, including families, so we let parents make the call on whether they stay for the late-end celebration, when the costumes and content get a little more ‘adult,’” says Angie Folks, executive director of The Milk District
Gift vendors, she says, run the gamut.
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“You’ll find traditional items, like locally crafted honey, vintage apparel, jewelry, ornaments and other crafty things to stuff like taxidermy,” Folks says. “It’s an entire rainbow of oddities. It’s a quirky party with things you won’t find anywhere else during the holiday season.”
Also on deck: a vast array of food options including, but not limited to: A Lo Cubano Kitchen, Bertsos Bakeshop, Charlie’s Bakery & Creamery, Chillin’ Tacos, Coterie Coffee, Gringos Locos, Katsu Cream, Maxtro’s, Phat Ash Bakes, Baba Yaga, Schnitz and Giggles, Smoke & Donuts, Swine & Sons, The Pass Kitchen and The Knot.
VIP ticketholders will get a whole package of goodies, including this stainless steel stein with the 2025 KrampusFest artwork. (Courtesy The Milk District)
“It’s not a party without good food and drinks, and this is all part of the KrampusFest experience. It’s not a traditional holiday event, so you won’t find traditional holiday food. There’s a wide range of local options, and we prioritize great community partners.”
Matthias Wagner of Schnitz & Giggles laughs when I ask about KrampusFest, which he reports was the “single best one-day event the truck has ever had.”
Wagner is German-born and raised, but in northern Bavaria, where he grew up, Krampus isn’t even a thing.
“It’s more of a southern Bavarian and Austrian tradition,” he chuckles, noting that the first he had even heard of Krampus came while watching American television.
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“We have Knecht Ruprecht, where I grew up, who is more of a sidekick to St. Nicholas,” he explains. “In Germany, Dec. 6 is St. Nicholas Day, and he comes to the houses to reward good children, and Knecht Ruprecht punishes the bad ones. He carries a stick and wears a robe … kind of like Evil Gandalf.”
Despite the lack of connection, Wagner is a big fan of KrampusFest, where guests likely dig on German fare for this German-inspired event.
“It was the single, best one-day event we’ve ever had,” says Wagner. “I love it.”
So does the gang at Phat Ash Bakes. This will be their fourth year in attendance.
“We love to go against the grain, and KrampusFest definitely fits the bill,” says Phat Ash’s Israel Erazo. “We love to be a part of the city’s alternative culture, we love to have fun, and Krampus is hilarious.”
Phat Ash Bakes’ event-exclusive Krampus cookie. (Courtesy Phat Ash Bakes)
Cookie fans take note: You’ll find a returning event-exclusive Krampus cookie this year, one that, like the spectral monster himself, won’t return again ’til next year.
“The Krampus cookie is a black velvet cookie with blood-red icing that runs down the sides,” Erazo says. “We did it last year, and it was super popular … and this is the only place we do it.”
Live entertainment this year includes The Goblin Party, a Plaza Live Battle of the Bands discovery for Folks, the locally lauded Bloody Jug Band (“it’s like swamp rock,” says Folks, “a very unique sound”). Bad Santa and the Angry Elves will round out the lineup, but that’s just on stage.
Other entertainers include local performing arts troupe, Phantasmagoria, who’ll be bringing a belly dancer, a sword swallower and more, along with the Slider Syndicate, back after a massively popular 2024 debut.
Costumed attendees congregate for the Krampusknauf Parade, free to enter and led by Krampus himself, which allows revelers to check out all the cosplay, then vote via applause for their favorite of the evening. Winners get cash prizes of up to $250.
The Krampus Claws Margarita (tequila, whiskey, triple sec, fresh lime juice, agave syrup and chipotle or Hellfire Bitters), one of two event-exclusive drinks you’ll find at KrampusFest 2025. (Courtesy The Milk District)
“KrampusFest is a community event and free to attend, but the best way to enjoy it is with a VIP ticket,” says Folks.
For $85 presale, $90 at the event, VIP attendees will receive a customized stainless steel stein with the 2025 artwork, event T-shirt, sticker, signature paper crown horn and wristband for VIP access to the indoor bar and restrooms. Perhaps best of all, VIPs are guaranteed a ticket for a photo-op with Krampus, shot by popular local portrait photographer, David Lawrence. (VIP-access-only wristband, for bar/restroom access only, is available for $20.)
In the years since its inception, says Folks, KrampusFest has cultivated a strong following that includes people from outside the city and even the state.
“KrampusFest started as this tiny, punk-rock idea tossed around over drinks, and now it’s become one of Orlando’s most anticipated holiday traditions and our signature event,” says Folks. “The fact that it continues to grow — and still feels incredibly ‘us’ — is something we’re really proud of.”
VIP Tickets: givebutter.com/KrampusFest2025
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.