BREMERTON, Wash. — Several days after Krampus Bremerton posted on social media that the 2026 Krampusnacht event was canceled, the organization’s founder wrote a lengthy statement explaining his decision.
Krampus is an ancient mythical creature found in Bavarian holiday traditions and folklore. The figure predates St. Nicholas and was intended to deter children from being naughty before the holidays, Krampus Bremerton explained on its website. Krampusnacht, which means Krampus Night, is a prelude to Yuletide celebrations and is held on Dec. 5.
On Nov. 9, the organization announced that Krampusnacht Bremerton 2026 was canceled.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to indefinitely cancel Krampusnacht Bremerton, which was scheduled for December 5. Sponsors, vendors, and registered participants have been contacted directly. Thank you to everyone who has walked with us, cheered from the sidewalks, and helped make this night part of Bremerton’s winter for the past several years. It has been an honor,” organizers wrote on Instagram.
When organizers announced the cancellation, they didn’t cite a reason, but their previous post on social media called out hate and racism.
However, on Nov. 11, founder Eric Morley posted a lengthy statement addressing what led up to the decision, in his view.
“What began as a concern about one person’s tattoo had become a public controversy involving threats, accusations, and real fear for the safety of people connected to the festival,” Morley said.
Morley goes on to explain that he was made aware of a tattoo that a participant in community events had. Morley said the person claimed the tattoo represented Nordic heritage, but allegedly, the tattoo was a symbol of the “Black Sun,” an image with known associations with Nazi and white supremacy imagery, Morley explained.
“I wasn’t present when the concerns were first raised; I was at a family celebration. No one present at that meetup spoke with him about the tattoo at the time. Afterward, a volunteer who helped me lead the festival contacted him on my behalf. He said his tattoo represented Nordic heritage rather than extremist ideology, and he offered to discuss its meaning with anyone who had concerns. I have not seen the tattoo in person, but I acknowledge and accept the photographs as real evidence that it exists. I decided the matter needed further consideration rather than an immediate decision based only on the initial reports, and I temporarily closed discussion within the group while I reviewed it,” he wrote on social media.
Morley said that the conflict escalated.
He said people called for the individual to be immediately excluded from all future activities, and when that didn’t happen, “disagreements escalated into behavior I considered bullying and harassment toward other participants,” Morley wrote.
Morley said after months of reaching out to historians, tattoo artists and others familiar with symbolism, “The people I consulted did not reach a definitive conclusion about what the tattoo meant to him or what he believes. In his interactions with me and the volunteers who helped me, he had not shown behavior that led me to believe he was advocating extremist ideology.”
“That didn’t mean I dismissed the concerns. I was trying to evaluate the situation based on the information I had. In hindsight, that process took far too long, and that is on me,” Morley wrote.
He emphasized in a section called ‘Where I Stand’ that “I emphatically reject Nazism, white supremacy, antisemitism, and extremist ideology of any kind. I have never sympathized with these abhorrent ideologies, and I never will.”
Morley said that the escalation included posting of screenshots of text messages on social media and gossip. Vendors withdrew funding and support, Morley said.
He also said that he and other volunteers had received threats.
With all that, he opted to cancel the event, calling it an “extraordinarily painful decision.”
“I created Krampus Bremerton to bring people together through folklore, art, performance, and community celebration. It was built on countless hours from volunteers who gave their time and leadership freely, along with my own investment and partnerships with local businesses and artists. Its cancellation is a loss for the vendors, performers, volunteers, local businesses, and families who looked forward to it every year.
I’m deeply saddened that this is how the festival ends. I didn’t cancel because I support hate. I canceled because the situation reached a point where I could no longer guarantee the safety or financial stability of the event,“ Morley wrote.
You can read his entire explanation and statement in his words here.