Krampus America Convention 2027

Al Ridenour is an author specializing in European folk-celebrations and their history. His most recent book on the topic, “A Season of Madness: Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival” (2025) has been praised as “intellectually hefty,” and for its “clarity, eloquence, and wry humor.” Since 2018, he has written and produced the podcast

Jeff Belanger is an author, podcaster, storyteller, adventurer, and explorer of the unexplained. He’s written more than a dozen books that have been published in six languages, including his bestseller, The Fright Before Christmas: Surviving Krampus and Other Yuletide Monsters. He’s the Emmy-nominated host, writer, and producer of the New England Legends series on PBS and Amazon Prime and a regular face and expert on television shows like William Shatner's UnXplained on the History Channel, the Shock Docs series on Discovery, and Ghost Adventures on the Trvl Channel.

Brom first won acclaim for bringing TSR’s Dark Sun role-playing world to life. He has since lent his distinctive vision to all facets of the creative industries, from novels and games, to comics and film, working on such notable titles as: World of Warcraft, Magic the Gathering, Diablo, Doom, Batman, Galaxy Quest and Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. He is also the author of a series of award-winning illustrated horror novels: the national bestselling novel—Slewfoot, Evil in Me, Lost Gods, Krampus the Yule Lord, The Child Thief, The Plucker, and The Devil’s Rose.

Tania L. Yager is a multifaceted visual/performance artist, writer, holistic educator, and shamanic practitioner living in San Diego California. A wearer of many hats, Tania has dedicated her life to the art of storytelling in all forms and strives to put education at the forefront of her work. She is the creative director of Twisted Heart Puppetworks, an innovative adult puppetry company in California, and founder of The Wild Hunt of Vista Krampus Run and Winter Procession and The Dark X-mas Market of Vista, as well as a Assistant Producer of the 2025 inaugural Krampus America Convention in Bremerton Washington.

Madame Onca is a career artist and entertainer with decades of blockprint experience, and an Etsy store full of Krampus goodies, along with other Yuletide Monsters.

Michael Esordi is known in the krewe world as Über Krampus, a New Orleans-based artist, creative director, and co-found the Krewe of Krampus in New Orleans (est. 2015), now one of the largest Krampuslauf events in the country. Through Art of the Parade, he develops sustainable materials and story-driven throws that push back against the disposable norms of Mardi Gras culture. The same philosophy runs through the Krewe of Krampus, which he's helped grow into a distinctly New Orleans take on Krampuslauf, one that draws from the city's culture, expands into a broader world of folklore-inspired characters, and treats sustainability as a design principle, not an afterthought.

Diana Esordi is a co-founder of the Krewe of Krampus in New Orleans and the Founder and Director of One Krewe, a nonprofit dedicated to creating accessible, safe, and inclusive parade and event experiences. She has been instrumental in shaping how Krampus tradition has evolved locally, with a focus on participation, visibility, and access for people with disabilities.

Mike Packer is a co-founder and defacto wrangler of Krampus of Indianapolis. When he's not manically obsessed with Krampus, he's a web designer and visual artist. Maura Buckley, who claims him as her husband, is fully responsible for this obsession, thanks to her love of monsters.

Nicole Pisaniello is a visual and performing artist and community builder based in Richmond, Virginia who believes in Faeries. From a young age she has been fascinated with the art of storytelling, and much of her work is inspired by fairy tales and folklore. She is the co-founder of RVA Krampusnacht and head goblin in charge of the Goblin Embassy, a masked character performance troupe. Nicole also teaches and performs aerial silks with Host of Sparrows Aerial Circus and travels the country with her fantasy illustrations.

Dr. Heide Castañeda is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of South Florida. She is the author of four books and over 60 research articles. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the Fulbright Program, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research.

Gavin has been a self-taught wood carver since 2008. Over the years Gavin has sculpted many unique wood pieces throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 2016 Gavin became completely fascinated with Krampus the ancient, mythical creature from Bavarian, European tradition, and many of the Austrian artists behind carving these traditional wooden masks.

Beorne performed as an independent Krampus for four years before joining Krampus Verein Pinellas three years ago. Her current Krampus is Timotheus Krampus, or

Todd founded Krampus Verein Pinellas County in 2024 out of the German American Friendship Society of Pinellas County. The mission of the GAFS is to promote and share German culture. He has led the Krampus Verein with a vision of bringing an authentic experience to patrons at the club and at locations throughout the Tampa Bay area through authentic representations of costume and performance. The Verein has grown to over 40 members, including 12+ Krampus performers wearing masks carved by Niklas Koller, Gavin Hughes, and Stefan Koidl.

Eric is the founder of Krampus America, Krampus Bremerton and Krampusnacht Bremerton...one of the largest Krampus festivals in the United States, now in its seventh year and drawing more than 10,000 attendees to downtown Bremerton, Washington. He holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration and has spent over 25 years working in corporate risk and compliance management. A longtime advocate for the arts and community development, Eric is the former owner of Mod a-go-go, an art gallery and mid-century modern furniture store in Salt Lake City, Utah; a former Chair of the Bremerton Arts Commission; and past president of the Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce. He brings this blend of business leadership, arts advocacy, and folklore passion to building the American Krampus community.

Stefan is a full-time self-taught Krampus mask carver and illustrator based in Salzburg, Austria. Having grown up surrounded by the Krampus tradition, he has been fascinated by its mysterious atmosphere and striking characters since childhood. Capturing the eerie and unsettling essence of each mask has become the driving force behind his work. Alongside his sculptural work, Stefan creates paintings and illustrations that tell stories beyond the canvas. Drawn to the darker side of art, he enjoys exploring dark and haunting themes, believing that there is something captivating about creating work that lingers in the viewer's mind and gently plays with their sense of fear.

RYAN ROTHMAIER is an Emmy-Nominated editor, producer, and director working across documentary and narrative film for more than two decades. Raised on a U.S. military base in Munich, Germany, he later attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. His producing and editing credits include CNN Films’ LADY VALOR and CARVILLE: WINNING IS EVERYTHING, STUPID!, along with series for Netflix, CNN, Apple TV+, and National Geographic, including CHEF’S TABLE, HOME GAME, THE REAGANS, MEN IN KILTS, THE SIXTIES, and Apple TV+’s HOME. In 2016, Rothmaier directed his first feature, THE WATCHER, followed by THE WARFIGHTERS for executive producer Peter Berg. He is the co-creator of National Geographic’s WORLD EATS BREAD, winner of 2025 James Beard Award for best Doc Series and director of the award-winning short QUEENS OF BIRMINGHAM. He and Christoph Baaden will be presenting a trailer and a scene selection from their feature documentary, A Krampus Story and will follow up with a discussion of their experiences making the film.

Niklas lives the traditions and customs he represents throughout the entire cycle of the year. In Niklas's village, winter folklore is about much more than just the Krampus. Almost forgotten characters such as the Budelnandl, the Lutzl, the Bluatige Thommerl, and various witch figures still make their way from house to house, visiting children during the winter season. These rare and fascinating figures have become one of Niklas's greatest sources of inspiration. It is currently very difficult for Niklas to travel to the United States. However, he will share a special video with the community, which will be presented at the convention. Through this video, you will get to know Niklas's life, his traditions, and the rituals that have shaped him since childhood. It offers a unique glimpse into the living heritage behind his masks and the cultural stories he is passionate about preserving and passing on. During this presentation we will share many of his masks in-person as worn by Krampus Verein Pinellas.