Krampus returns to Bloomington for a block party at Switchyard Brewing Company
A Bloomington tradition that has been dormant for two years is waking from its slumber Saturday to bring terror and mischief back to the holiday season.
Originally started in 2011, the Krampus Rampage & Bazaar — one of the largest Krampus celebrations in North America — came to an end in 2021. B-Town Krampus and Switchyard Brewing Company are reviving Krampus with the Krampus Night Block Party.
The event will be from 4 to 10 p.m. on Ninth Street right outside Switchyard Brewing Company, 419 N. Walnut St. The event is free and open to all ages.
Lilith Cain is the person behind B-Town Krampus and the new Krampus wrangler. Cain said she began planning in June and reached out to Kurtis Cummings, founder and CEO of Switchyard Brewing, about partnering for the event.
Homegrown hops: Bloomington Brewing Co.'s Indiana Pale Ale created with patented hops from Monroe County
Cain said she started attending the original rampage back in 2016 and absolutely fell in love with it. She said she wanted to do this for the Bloomington community, but her phone has been blowing up with messages from people out of state interested in joining the celebration.
“I couldn’t imagine there ever not being a Krampus in Bloomington,” Cain said. “I am so committed to keeping this going forever and (it) becoming a permanent installation in Bloomington.”
Not familiar with Krampus? He is a half-goat, half-demon monster that punishes bad children at Christmas time while St. Nicholas gives the good children gifts. So make sure to be nice, or Krampus will visit and give you some unwanted attention.
Cain said people should look out for the lair at the event where there will be a giant throne, photo booth and Krampus horns for people to try on. The lair will have various Krampus merchandise including shot glasses, magnets and buttons featuring the night's favorite characters.
There will be no parade or “naughty” and “nice” stickers this year, but there will be a procession at 6 p.m., a stage show from 7 to 9 p.m., vendors for shopping and Switchyard's special Krampus-themed porter, "Dark Yule," brewed just for the event. There also will be sensory sensitive hours inside the taproom from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. where the noise, commotion and character interaction will be limited.
This weekend: Quarryland Men's Chorus, Stone Belt holiday sale, Santa on Sale Street
Six local beasts will be at the event, including, for the first time, a baby Krampus. The beasts were handpicked by Cain in hopes they'll become the next generation to take over.
“My beasts are so talented, their costumes are all handmade by themselves,” Cain said. “I cannot speak enough about how creative and eager this team is.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: B-Town Krampus revives Bloomington tradition with Switchyard Brewing
