On 5 December the Krampus roam the summit and slopes of Kronplatz, and on the 6th St Nicholas arrives, both up the mountain and in San Vigilio di Marebbe. On the 11th the Krampus parade through the village, followed by the free Burning Krampus party.
According to the San Vigilio tourist board, the custom comes from a story set in a time of famine. Young people from the mountain villages dressed up in animal furs and horns and went to frighten the neighbouring villages and steal their winter stores. A demon slipped in among them, recognisable only by its goat's hooves, and Bishop Nicholas was called to drive it out. Ever since, on the eve of St Nicholas, young people dressed as demons have paraded through the villages, accompanied by the bishop.
On Kronplatz it all happens up the mountain, from 10:00 to 12:00: on Saturday 5 December the Krampus cross the summit and the slopes, and on Sunday 6 St Nicholas comes round handing out small presents to children. Late in the afternoon of the 6th St Nicholas also arrives in San Vigilio di Marebbe: from 17:00 children meet him at the pavilion and get a small surprise, and from 18:00 the Krampus turn up.
On Friday 11 December, from 18:00 to 19:00, the Krampus parade goes through San Vigilio, from the tourist office car park to the Pavillon. From 19:00 to 1:00 the evening carries on with the Burning Krampus party in the Sala Manifestazioni, with DJ sets, pizza and hot dogs.
Where Krampus and St Nicholas at San Vigilio and on Kronplatz falls in the Dolomites year, and what happens in the other weeks: Best time to visit the Dolomites: a month-by-month guide.
Good to know
- Admission: The Burning Krampus party on 11 December is free and needs no registration. For the parade on the 11th and for St Nicholas in the village on the 6th, the official pages list no tickets. To meet the Krampus and St Nicholas on Kronplatz on 5 and 6 December you go up to the summit or onto the slopes by lift, which you pay for separately.
- Kronplatz, 5 and 6 December: you go up by lift from the valley stations, so to meet the Krampus and St Nicholas on the mountain you need a lift ticket or a ski pass.
- San Vigilio, 6 December: St Nicholas is at the pavilion. The tourist board's description says from 17:00, its events list from 18:00 to 20:00.
- San Vigilio, 11 December: the parade starts from the tourist office car park and ends at the Pavillon; the event page gives Via Catarina Lanz as the address. Burning Krampus is in the Sala Manifestazioni at Via Plan de Corones 30, from 19:00 to 1:00, with free entry and no registration.
- In the nearby Anterselva valley, at the Christmas market in Rasun di Sotto, St Nicholas arrives on 6 December at 17:30 and the Krampus on 13 December at 18:00.
Official website (tickets & info) ↗
Dates, times and prices change every year: always check the official pages before you go.