You Better Watch Out!

Pin Up Penny Photography

Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic beast of Alpine lore, who assists St. Nicholas by taking care of all the misbehaving children. He may or may not show up at the Krampusnacht Erie Bazaar at Basement Transmissions this weekend.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3

 If you thought that spooky season was over, rest assured there are still plenty of seasonal tales to keep you up at night. We all hear a lot about good ole' St. Nick this time of year, but there is another tradition rooted in German-speaking countries that began centuries ago. The legend of Krampus has gained much attention in recent decades and around the world, and many countries celebrate the night known as Krampusnacht, where St. Nick takes care of the good children, while Krampus handles those less well-behaved. Here in Erie, we'll have the second Krampusnacht Erie Holiday Bazaar to celebrate the foil of St. Nicholas.

All things Krampus will be celebrated at Krampusnacht Erie Holiday Bazaar at Basement Transmissions. Vendors from all around will showcase their creepy creations, oddities, and Krampus-related wares. Erie's own Kerrie Fargiorgio is organizing the event. Kerrie and her husband Eric spend much of the year vending at various events similar to this one in other cities. She comments, "We have some local vendors and some we've met in our travels. All were selected based on a very specific theme of our show."

Fargiorgio says that Krampus has been a part of her family's holidays since she was a kid, living in Canada. "Having older brothers, you learn about that stuff pretty early," she said. "Krampus is a big part of the holidays for us and we hoped Erie would feel the same about him. We have our very own Krampus to take a holiday photo with. We will be having a best-dressed Krampus contest; yes, dressing up is encouraged. Our DJ will be playing our collection of weird, obscure X-mas music." Fargiogio said.

In addition to the vendors, there is much more to see and do. Pin Up Penny, Penny Shaut, is hosting the second Krampus themed Miss Krampusnacht pin-up contest at the event. Participants must register by 5 p.m. The entrance fee is a donation of women's hygiene products, socks, or undergarments to be donated to SafeNet. The contest will be held at 6 p.m. 

12 p.m. to 8 p.m. // Basement Transmissions, 145 W. 11th St. // $2 admission // facebook.com