Spielbudenfestival

Every summer, Spielbudenplatz becomes a stage for the curious and culture enthusiasts – when the Spielbudenfestival Hamburg delights with acrobatics, comedy, music, magic, and fire shows.

In 2025, the Spielbudenfestival will celebrate its fifth edition from 18 to 20 July – and will welcome 15 international acts to transform St. Pauli into a wild, poetic, and wonderfully eccentric universe of street art for three whole days. Since 2020, the Corny Littmann Foundation for Art and Culture has brought this international street art festival to Hamburg-St. Pauli.

The festival sees itself as an open space of experience for everyone – barrier-free, free of charge, and right in the heart of life. The acts come from a wide range of cultures and disciplines, blurring the boundaries between art forms: clowning meets performance art, juggling meets music, acrobatics meets urban poetry.

Each year, the line-up surprises with new highlights: from nostalgic travelling stages and steampunk shows to female circus collectives and captivating diabolo artistry – here, wonder, laughter, and emotion take centre stage. Sunday is traditionally dedicated to families, with a programme specially designed for children and young people.

Did you know?

The tradition of Spielbudenplatz as a stage dates back to 1795 – when jesters and magicians enchanted their audiences.

A worthwhile next stop

The Panoptikum waxworks museum, the alternative Park Fiction area, or a visit to the nearby Schmidts Tivoli theatre are perfect ways to round off the festival experience.