Las Vegas, NV — Krampus & Kin, Universal Horror Unleashed’s holiday event, returns on select nights from November 19, 2026, to January 10, 2027, adding Mari Lwyd, Hans Trapp and Frau Perchta to last year’s Krampus, Grýla and the Kallikantzaroi. It is included with every admission ticket, starting at $14.99 plus tax for the Fraidy Cat ticket, which skips the haunted houses.
The Six Winter Creatures
The creatures appear in Yuletide Legends, an area near the Krampus Haus beer garden where guests meet Krampus face to face and walk among oversized storybooks of winter folklore:
- Krampus (Returning), the horned punisher of Germanic winter folklore
- Grýla (Returning), the Icelandic troll
- Kallikantzaroi (Returning), goblins from Greek folklore
- Mari Lwyd (NEW), from Wales: a horse’s skull on a pole, carried from house to house over the Christmas period in parts of south Wales by bearers who sang verses to be let in, according to Museum Wales
- Hans Trapp (NEW), from Alsace: the City of Strasbourg’s Christmas site traces him to a man who lived at Berwartstein Castle in the late 15th century and terrorized northern Alsace until his death in 1503
- Frau Perchta (NEW), from the Alps: in the old tales she punishes untidy homes and unfinished spinning during the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany, according to Atlas Obscura, and Krampus Haus names its fried apple pie for her
A lantern-lit musical procession brings the creatures together through the night and ends with a lighting moment around Krampus’s towering black holiday tree. Guests can take photos on Krampus’s skull-encrusted throne and in Grýla’s cauldron, two photo spots Universal also announced last year.
Universal announced the first Krampus & Kin for November 15, 2025, through January 3, 2026, with Krampus, Grýla and the Kallikantzaroi, a third photo spot at the Kallikantzaroi’s rotting tree, and a procession with storytellers sharing each creature’s origins, Theme Park Insider reported in September 2025. This year’s run ends a week later, on January 10.
Holiday Takeovers Across the Venue
Universal Horror Unleashed’s themed areas, the rooms between its four haunted houses, take on holiday versions during Krampus & Kin, with holiday music, decorations and familiar characters in holiday alter egos:
- Frost Bite: Dead Storage, where guests meet the Vampire Queen at her throne the rest of the year, becomes an icy feeding ground ruled by the Vampire Frost Queen, whose Frost Guard and Frost Stalkers hunt guests.
- Kill Vault Video: in the Kill Vault area, guests browse holiday horror films before finding what is hidden behind the video wall.
- Home for the Horrordays: Prop Graveyard becomes a family Christmas gathering where the Twin Sister and Twin Brother host “their most disturbed friends” for a gruesome celebration.
- Demented Circus: Jack the Clown, the Halloween Horror Nights character who hosts the venue’s circus show, and his Maniacs stage a holiday Demented Circus in Premiere House with rock music, specialty acts, dark comedy and theatrical kills. Universal is taking reservations for it.
Krampus Haus Food and Drinks
Krampus Haus is a Bavarian-inspired beer garden in Jack’s Alley with four themed food stalls, seasonal beers on draught and specialty cocktails. The food menu:
- The Chains of Krampus: a Bavarian-style pretzel with blonde ale cheese fondue and Bavarian mustard dip
- Naughty, Naughty: smoked cranberry-glazed chicken drum pops
- Feast of the Holy Innards: spiraled Feuerwurst sausage with fire-roasted pepper relish and Bavarian mustard
- Perchta’s Pie: fried apple pie chebureki with bourbon-spiced vanilla bean icing
A Krampus-themed dining pass covers any four of the food selections, and Krampus Haus pours four seasonal drinks:
- Devil’s Blood: a gin cocktail with cranberry, citrus, cherry and clove-infused honey
- Krampus Punch: a spiced mulled wine
- Shot Ski: made with Aquavit
- Nice List: a blend of cherry juice, apple cider, orange juice, honey, clove and ginger beer
Guests must be 21 or older with valid photo ID to buy alcohol. The Krampus & Kin merchandise collection of apparel, accessories and collectible keepsakes featuring Krampus and the other creatures is sold in the venue’s retail store. Food, drinks and merchandise cost extra.
Krampus & Kin Dates, Hours and Tickets
Krampus & Kin runs on these nights from November 19, 2026, through January 10, 2027, according to Universal’s event calendar:
- November: 19 to 22 and 27 to 29
- December: 3 to 6, 10 to 13, 17 to 20 and 26 to 30
- January 2027: 1 to 3 and 7 to 10
The venue is closed on Thanksgiving, November 26, from December 21 to 25 and on New Year’s Eve. Universal Horror Unleashed lists its hours as 4 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with last entry two hours before closing.
Krampus & Kin is included with every admission ticket, and Universal’s tickets page lists three:
- General Admission (Unlimited Access): unlimited entry to each of the four haunted houses, from $69.99 plus tax
- General Admission (One-Time Access): one entry to each house, from $49.99 plus tax
- Fraidy Cat: the venue, its entertainment, dining and retail, with no haunted houses, from $14.99 plus tax
Fraidy Cat tickets started at $29 plus tax when I reported on the venue’s two-year calendar in May. Tickets are date-specific, and Nevada residents, military members and college students get discounts. The four houses are Universal Monsters, Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Scarecrow: The Reaping. Universal does not recommend the venue for children under 13, and costume masks are not allowed.
Krampus & Kin’s Final Run Is Planned for 2027
At a Monsterpalooza panel on May 30, 2026, Universal Horror Unleashed’s team said Krampus & Kin would return from November 2027 through January on a larger scale, in what the team said would be its final run. My report on the venue’s two-year calendar covers the rest of that plan, including the venue’s first all-new haunted house in August 2027.
This year Krampus & Kin follows the spring Feaster Grievings event, which ran April 1 through May 2, and the Resident Evil takeover, which ran July 9 through September 27, two of the limited-time events Universal Horror Unleashed runs between Halloween seasons. My Universal Horror Unleashed guide covers the four houses, the bars and the rest of the venue.
Universal Horror Unleashed is at AREA15, 3051 South Rancho Drive in Las Vegas. The Krampus & Kin calendar and tickets are on the venue’s Krampus & Kin page.
Top image: Krampus at Krampus & Kin. Image: Universal Horror Unleashed.
