December in Hamburg is perfectly German, with Christmas markets filling the small neighbourhood squares, lining the promenade by Binnenalster lake and bringing life to the square outside the Town Hall. The smell of gluhwein and candied nuts fills the air, gingerbread hearts swing from the front of stalls and the wursts just call out to be eaten!
A short walk from the central markets, and Santa Pauli Christmas market sits proudly on the Reeperbahn. Known as a nightlife hotspot in Hamburg, the Reeperbahn is a nearly 1km long street home to pubs, clubs, theatres and the city’s red light district. And of course, come December, the Christmas market lives up to the reputation of the street.

The market fills Spielbudenplatz, a long square that runs alongside part of the Reeperbahn. Half of the market is family friendly, with the usual market stalls you’d expect to find such as gingerbread hearts, candied nuts and other food. And of course, hot drinks and Christmas crafts.
The other part of the market is a little less suitable for the family. You’ll still find Christmas crafts and decorations, but they’re a little more raunchy and sit alongside sex toys. Think a body in a corset figurine to decorate your Christmas tree, or sexy Christmas themed lingerie.
Keeping the market on theme with the Reeperbahn, there’s an outdoor bar at one end of the market. It’s set up to look like a cosy living room, with sofas, lights, and even Christmas trees hanging from the ceiling. It’s cool, but for the true Reeperbahn experience you’ll need to head inside the ‘Adult Tent’ where you’ll find live music and, of course, strip shows. Where else would you find strip shows at a Christmas market?


6 Comments
Rebecca
November 6, 2020 at 3:28 amHaha, you had me at the title of your post! I’ve visited a solid handful of Christmas markets in Germany, but I haven’t been to Hamburg’s yet…but it looks like I’ll have to go for a laugh at the “sexy” theme of it all! Next time…
Becks
November 6, 2020 at 1:39 pmI’ve been to a fair few Christmas markets in Germany and have never seen one like this, but it was definitely interesting! It has a lot more raunchy stalls but didn’t want to put photos of sex toys on my blog haha!
Happy Panda
November 6, 2020 at 7:58 amhahah – “grab some nuts”! 😀 😀 such a fun themed market!
Becks
November 6, 2020 at 1:40 pmHaha I’m glad someone else laughed at that and not just me! Definitely is a fun market to check out 🙂
Juliette
November 10, 2020 at 7:34 pmAhaha this is so fun, I had no idea they made those! 😂 Loved reading through your article!
Becks
November 10, 2020 at 9:19 pmThank you! Yeah it’s something a bit different haha!