The Krampus Ball is Tomorrow! Have You been Naughty?

Back Row: Mike Odd (black) Jeryd Pojawa (red), Middle Row: Al Ridenour (orange), Jason Hadley (greenish-white), Al Ridenour (brown). Front Row: Sharon McGunigle (sitting), Al Ridenour (far right). Photo: Phil Glau.( Photo courtesy of KrampusFest)

Do you love being chased around by giant hairy monsters who whip and spank you? Wishing you had someplace to wear your Bavarian folk dress? Then you are in luck, my friend! The Los Angeles Krampus Ball will be returning to The Highland Park Ebell Club Saturday night!  The online ticket sales have closed, so make sure to arrive before 7pm to buy your ticket. Krampus-style attire is encouraged – from demonic elves to traditional dirdle dresses.

What is a Krampus, you may ask. While Americans are perfectly content to let bad little boys and girls face a lump of coal in their stockings, other countries are not letting those little brats off so easy. Central European Alpine counties like Austria and Southern Germany have a myth that St. Nicholas is accompanied by a monstrous beast known as the Krampus. In a good cop/bad cop scenario, St. Nicholas rewards the good little children while Krampus snatches up the bad kids and carries them off to his lair.

The Krampus tradition in Los Angeles has sprung up from the ashes of The Cacophony Society, spearheaded by Al Guerrero and Al Ridenour of The Art of Bleeding. Participants spend months crafting the elaborate costumes n preparation for the holiday season. Besides tomorrow night’s ball, The Krampus will participate in The Echo Park Holiday Parade and present a traditional Krampus Nicholas play

This year’s ball will  be hosted again by “Festmeister Hans” of Alpine Village. DJ .EGO PLUM  will create the perfect mood with deconstructed Alpine music. On the bill are KRAMMPSTEIN featuring Greg Reynard and crew, with a mash-up of Germany’s industrial-metal giants Rammstein reworked by Krampus “a medley of hellfire, brutal thrashings, and Christmas cookies.” Cabaret artist and chanteuse CHRISTINA LINHARDT will perform a memorable set of Marlene Dietrich standards.

G.T.E.V. D’OBERLANDLER will be on hand to bring the traditional songs and dances of the Miesbach region of Bavaria. RASPUTIN’S MARIONETTES will be presenting “Night of the Krampus” – a cautionary tale. Rasputin trained with the late Bob Baker’s marionette theater, and has been making marionettes for 17 years.

Midnight is when things go crazy.  “The Krampus will arrive, bursting through ballroom doors as a wild horde of devils swinging birch switches, rattling chains and clanking rusty cowbells.” This year The Los Angeles Krampus troupe will be joined by special guests from Austria, the first representatives of a European Krampus troupe to visit North American in costume. How often do you get the chance to get whipped by an Austrian?