Every December, Izzy Jaecks dons a 40-pound suit covered in goat fur and sleigh bells, pulls on a leather mask with twisted ram horns and takes to the streets to strike fear in the hearts of naughty children across Milwaukee. As a Krampus performer for the past six years, Jaecks is at the heart of the city’s annual Krampusnacht, a one-night celebration of the Germanic half-goat, half-demon folk monster said to punish (beat with sticks and occasionally eat) misbehaving kids at Christmas.
“You’ll see adults who are terrified and then little kids who just think you’re a big cuddly monster,” Jaecks says. “It’s always funny when tiny kids run up and grab a hug.”
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Milwaukee’s Krampusnacht was started in 2017 by Tea Krulos and co-founders Scott Wolter and Robert Schönecker, who recruited his friend Jaecks as one of the Krampuses. In 2018, the crew formed Milwaukee Krampus Eigenheit (Eigenheit means “peculiarity” – but the word was chosen mostly for the acronym, MKE), a club that brings a little goat-demon action to German Fest, the Bristol Renaissance Faire and other events. Jaecks, who daylights as a technician at Milwaukee Tool, is the club’s president. Wolter died in 2020, and Schönecker, a retired fireman, and Krulos, a writer and MilMag contributor, continue to run Krampusnacht.
The biggest struggle of the modern-day Krampus, Jaecks says, is seeing clearly through that mask. And when it’s warm, the 40 pounds of fur and bells plus the bike helmet that serves as the mask’s base turn into a real cooker. Other Krampuses sometimes opt for lighter and less expensive approaches – such as repurposed gorilla costumes found on Amazon.
Last year’s Krampusnacht was the largest since the event’s founding, with roughly 2,500 attendees, and Jaecks is anticipating a larger turnout this year. Attendees of all ages can dine at On Tap, shop local vendors, and those of age can enjoy beer, wine and cocktails.
“I’m a little jaded by Christmas itself,” Jaecks says. “This bizarre old German tradition was really a way for me to rediscover the magic that can be Christmas.”
See Jaecks at Krampusnacht, Dec. 3 from 3-9 p.m. at Best Place. Tickets are available at milwaukeekrampusnacht.com.
