{"id":73545,"date":"2025-12-06T11:57:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T11:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/73545\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T11:57:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T11:57:22","slug":"krampusfest-returns-to-the-plaza-live-on-sunday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/73545\/","title":{"rendered":"KrampusFest returns to The Plaza Live on Sunday"},"content":{"rendered":"

The GOAT (get it?!) of the city\u2019s holiday market party season returns to The M<\/a>ilk District<\/a> on Sunday as KrampusFest stomps back to The Plaza Live (425 N. Bumby Ave. in Orlando).<\/p>\n

Known for its mass of holiday-season vendors (traditional and twisted), this wonderfully weird gathering goes from 2-9 p.m. \u2014 and from nice to just a lil\u2019 naughty, as the free event is suggested for those 18 and older after 6 p.m. That\u2019s when the horns come out.<\/p>\n

\u201cKrampusFest 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 \u2018adult,’\u201d says Angie Folks, executive director of The Milk District<\/p>\n

Gift vendors, she says, run the gamut.<\/p>\n

Bertsos Bakeshop crafts custom treats that are scary good<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll find traditional items, like locally crafted honey, vintage apparel, jewelry, ornaments and other crafty things to stuff like taxidermy,\u201d Folks says. \u201cIt\u2019s an entire rainbow of oddities. It\u2019s a quirky party with things you won\u2019t find anywhere else during the holiday season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also on deck: a vast array of food options including, but not limited to:\u00a0A Lo Cubano Kitchen, Bertsos Bakeshop<\/a>, Charlie\u2019s Bakery & Creamery, Chillin\u2019 Tacos, Coterie Coffee, Gringos Locos, Katsu Cream, Maxtro\u2019s, Phat Ash Bakes, Baba Yaga, Schnitz and Giggles, Smoke & Donuts, Swine & Sons, The Pass Kitchen and The Knot.<\/p>\n

\"VIPVIP ticketholders will get a whole package of goodies, including this stainless steel stein with the 2025 KrampusFest artwork. (Courtesy The Milk District)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a party without good food and drinks, and this is all part of the KrampusFest experience. It\u2019s not a traditional holiday event, so you won\u2019t find traditional holiday food. There\u2019s a wide range of local options, and we prioritize great community partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthias Wagner of Schnitz & Giggles<\/a> laughs when I ask about KrampusFest, which he reports was the \u201csingle best one-day event the truck has ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wagner is German-born and raised, but in northern Bavaria, where he grew up, Krampus isn\u2019t even a thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more of a southern Bavarian and Austrian tradition,\u201d he chuckles, noting that the first he had even heard of Krampus came while watching American television.<\/p>\n

Orlando\u2019s Schnitz & Giggles is Oktoberfest on wheels<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have Knecht Ruprecht, where I grew up, who is more of a sidekick to St. Nicholas,\u201d he explains. \u201cIn 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 \u2026 kind of like Evil Gandalf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the lack of connection, Wagner is a big fan of KrampusFest, where guests likely dig on German fare for this German-inspired event.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the single, best one-day event we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d says Wagner. \u201cI love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

So does the gang at Phat Ash Bakes<\/a>. This will be their fourth year in attendance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love to go against the grain, and KrampusFest definitely fits the bill,\u201d says Phat Ash\u2019s Israel Erazo. \u201cWe love to be a part of the city\u2019s alternative culture, we love to have fun, and Krampus is hilarious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PhatPhat Ash Bakes’ event-exclusive Krampus cookie. (Courtesy Phat Ash Bakes)<\/p>\n

Cookie fans take note: You\u2019ll find a returning event-exclusive Krampus cookie this year, one that, like the spectral monster himself, won\u2019t return again \u2019til next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Krampus cookie is a black velvet cookie with blood-red icing that runs down the sides,\u201d Erazo says. \u201cWe did it last year, and it was super popular \u2026 and this is the only place we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Live entertainment this year includes The Goblin Party, a Plaza Live Battle of the Bands discovery for Folks, the locally lauded Bloody Jug Band (\u201cit\u2019s like swamp rock,\u201d says Folks, \u201ca very unique sound\u201d). Bad Santa and the Angry Elves will round out the lineup, but that\u2019s just on stage.<\/p>\n

Other entertainers include local performing arts troupe, Phantasmagoria<\/a>, who\u2019ll be bringing a belly dancer, a sword swallower and more, along with the Slider Syndicate, back after a massively popular 2024 debut.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 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)<\/p>\n

\u201cKrampusFest is a community event and free to attend, but the best way to enjoy it is with a VIP ticket,\u201d says Folks.<\/p>\n

For $85 presale<\/a>, $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<\/a>. (VIP-access-only wristband, for bar\/restroom access only, is available for $20.)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cKrampusFest started as this tiny, punk-rock idea tossed around over drinks, and now it\u2019s become one of Orlando\u2019s most anticipated holiday traditions and our signature event,\u201d says Folks. \u201cThe fact that it continues to grow \u2014 and still feels incredibly \u2018us\u2019 \u2014 is something we\u2019re really proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

VIP Tickets: givebutter.com\/KrampusFest2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram\u00a0@amydroo<\/a>\u00a0or on the OSFoodie Instagram account\u00a0@orlando.foodie<\/a>. Email:\u00a0amthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. For more foodie fun, join the\u00a0Let\u2019s Eat, Orlando Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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