Most people know that Whitby hosts a couple of Goth Festivals each year inspired by the towns links to Dracula and its iconic gothic abbey, but a far scarier proposition is the annual Krampus Run which comes to Whitby every December.
The Whitby Krampus run started in 2013 and has grown in popularity ever since, where horned creatures from Alpine folklore march through the town on the Saturday which is nearest to the Feast of St. Nicholas.
This year’s event (2024) will be held on Saturday 7th December and is well worth a visit to the town to witness this weird parade.
Tradition has it that on the Feast of St.Nicholas, that the Saint (who is often also referred to as Father Christmas) visits homes to give good children presents and gifts. But he is also accompanied by a dark counterpart who punishes naughty children – his name is Krampus.
The character Krampus originated in Alpine folklore and was always depicted as a beast like creature with long fur, pointed tongue and sharp long horns. Krampus is also sometimes shown as being half demon and half goat and originated to scare children into behaving before Christmas.
The folklore dates back centuries and has more recently started to be embraced in other territories as well as Austria.
This will be the 10th Whitby Krampus Run and each year the number of participants as well as the number spectators grows. In 2023 there were over 50 beasts parading through the historic streets as well as many others in mythical dress. These people who paraded were accompanied by drummers and fire performers.
The event has taken on a bit more of a local flavour with a dragon like creature from Whitby folklore known as the Whitby Wyrm joining the parade and a “salt blessing” where the creatures are showered in Whitby sea salt.
As well as being a memorable occasion, the Krampus Run also raised lots of money for local charities.
Most kids love the event, but some of the creatures can be quite scary, so if you have very young children who are easily scared, it may be worth giving the event a miss until they get a bit older!
This really is a celebration of the dark side of Christmas. Will you be there?
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