St. Pauli X-Mass Run 2026: 5 km in costume at the Millerntor
5 km in Christmas costume, a finish inside the Millerntor stadium to “Hells Bells” – and sold out by November last time. What is known about the 2026 date and how to get your running group a place.
Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 6 min read
The St. Pauli X-Mass Run is a 5 km event in Christmas costume: start at the Millerntor stadium, one loop around the Heiligengeistfeld and through the Planten un Blomen park, and a finish inside the stadium with applause from the stands (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de). The 2026 date has not been set yet. The organiser, BMS Die Laufgesellschaft, is waiting for the football fixture list and expects to open registration in the autumn (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, registration; as of 3 October 2026). Last time, all 4,900 places were gone by November – if you want in, don't miss the registration opening.
Where things stand for 2026
The organiser's site currently says only: "We have to wait for the football fixture list. Only then can we set and publish a date. Registration will probably open in the autumn." (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, registration). BMS's own event calendar also lists the X-Mass Run simply as "xx. December 2026" (source: dielaufgesellschaft.de). The reason is obvious: start and finish are in the Millerntor stadium, and it is busy on match days.
For orientation: the 15th edition took place on Sunday, 7 December 2025 (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review). A date in December 2026 is therefore likely, but not yet confirmed. The 2026 entry fee and wave times have not been published either.
Last year shows why speed matters: on 11 November 2025, almost four weeks before race day, the organiser announced that all 4,900 places had sold out "in no time at all" (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, "Hells Balls" news). If you want to run in 2026, check the St. Pauli X-Mass Run registration page regularly or subscribe to the BMS newsletter, which according to the organiser announces upcoming events and registration openings (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de).
2025 key facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 2026 date | Not yet published (as of 3 October 2026); registration expected from autumn |
| Last edition | Sunday, 7 December 2025, 15th edition |
| Distance | 5 km |
| Start and finish | Millerntor stadium, Hamburg-St. Pauli |
| Course | Through the stadium, around the Heiligengeistfeld, through Planten un Blomen, back into the stadium |
| Participants 2025 | 4,900 entries in seven waves of 700, sold out (record) |
| First start 2025 | 9:30 |
| Included | Mulled wine or punch included in the entry fee, medal |
| Charity | 5 "Taler" per entry for seven Hamburg charities |
| Organiser | BMS Die Laufgesellschaft mbH |
Sources: stpauli-x-mass-run.de (home page, registration, 2025 review, news), dielaufgesellschaft.de. As of 3 October 2026.
The 5 km: stadium, funfair, park
The organiser promises the chance to "run into the Millerntor stadium to the sound of Hells Bells" (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de). The 2025 review describes the loop in more detail: shortly after the start you pass through the stadium, then head out along Feldstraße with the TV tower on your left, into Planten un Blomen, "up, turn, back again", with the Winterdom funfair on your right, past St. Pauli U-Bahn station and back into the stadium (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review). On your return, the organiser says, there is "applause from the stands for especially creative costumes" (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de).
For runners, that means a short loop full of changes of direction, with a turnaround in Planten un Blomen. If you want to run fast, line up near the front of your wave – with 700 people per wave it gets crowded after the stadium section. In 2025 it was 10 °C, grey and wet (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review), so wear shoes with grip and choose a costume that can handle rain. The organiser publishes the course map subject to change (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, course map).
Seven waves: how the 2025 morning went
Instead of a mass start, 2025 had seven waves of 700 people each (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review). The first went off at 9:30, the third at 10:10 and the fifth at 10:50 (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review). Depending on your wave, you spend a very different part of the morning at the stadium. If you want to run with friends, make sure you end up in the same wave when you register.
After the finish, people headed to the after-race party at the neighbouring KNUST venue for the mulled wine or punch included in the entry fee and for the awards – a separate ceremony for each of the seven waves, top three men and women (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review). People still run fast, by the way: the overall fastest in 2025, Fabio Stehn from Halstenbek, ran 16:07, and six men went under 17 minutes. Lara Voss from Castrop-Rauxel won the first wave in 18:22, ahead of all the men, and no other woman beat that time all day (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review).
Group costumes with your running crew
The X-Mass Run is the event where running groups make the most effort. In 2025, according to the organiser, "a monstrous neon-yellow caterpillar made of nine people" approached the stadium, followed by a seven-person sleigh team without runners (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review). The caterpillar – the Elbdeich Runners from Lower Saxony – won one of the best-costume awards and announced it would return as butterflies in 2026. A fire brigade crew in full gear is a tradition at this event, the organiser says (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review).
Judging changed in 2025: for the first time an independent jury picked one best costume from each wave, after which the public voted for the best of all (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 costume news). If your group wants to take part, a few practical thoughts:
- Register together as soon as registration opens. With an event that sells out by November, not everyone in your group will get a place otherwise.
- A costume that lasts 5 km. Linked group costumes such as a caterpillar or a sleigh only work if everyone runs a similar pace and you have practised together once – including the turnaround in Planten un Blomen.
- Plan for rain. Cardboard goes soggy; fabric and felt hold up. And under the costume, wear running kit that stays warm when wet.
Regular group sessions, called Lauftreffs in German, where you can test the costume beforehand are listed under running in Hamburg.
The good cause
According to the organiser, 5 "Taler" from every entry go into a donation pot that is split among seven Hamburg charities (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de). The news section says this also applies to merchandise sales (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de). In 2025, seven cheques of €3,950 each were handed over during the morning, including to the Young Rebels, FC St. Pauli's youth triathlon squad, and as prize money for Hamburg athletics clubs (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review). The 2025 medal was called "Hells Balls" and, according to the organiser, doubles as a tree ornament or necklace (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, "Hells Balls" news).
From 700 to 4,900
The X-Mass Run started in 2011 with 700 participants. Fifteen years later there were seven waves of 700 places each – 4,900 entries, a record and sold out (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review). The organiser calls it "Germany's biggest Christmas run" (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 review).
Advent and winter in Hamburg
The X-Mass Run isn't the only date in Hamburg's winter. The year's overview of all bib events in the city is under running events in Hamburg. If you use Advent to kick off a bigger goal, everything about the city's marathon is in our guide to the Hamburg Marathon. And if you're in the Rhineland over the holidays, you'll find more costume and Advent events in St. Nicholas and Christmas runs in the Rhineland, including the Cologne St. Nicholas Run.
Sources
- stpauli-x-mass-run.de
- stpauli-x-mass-run.de/anmeldung
- stpauli-x-mass-run.de/streckenplan
- stpauli-x-mass-run.de/2025/12/07/neuer-teilnahmerekord-bei-…
- stpauli-x-mass-run.de/2025/11/11/hells-balls-die-medaille-2…
- stpauli-x-mass-run.de/2025/12/24/ihr-habt-gewaehlt-das-scho…
- dielaufgesellschaft.de
Frequently asked questions
- When is the St. Pauli X-Mass Run 2026?
- The date has not been published yet (as of 3 October 2026). The organiser is waiting for the football fixture list; in 2025 the event took place on Sunday, 7 December (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de).
- When does registration open?
- According to the organiser, probably in autumn 2026, once the date is fixed (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, registration). In 2025, all 4,900 places were gone before 11 November (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, news).
- How long is the course?
- 5 km: through the Millerntor stadium, around the Heiligengeistfeld, through Planten un Blomen and back into the stadium (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de).
- Do I have to wear a costume?
- Costumes are the heart of the event, and a jury awards the best ones. Since 2025 it has picked one best costume from each start wave (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de, 2025 costume news).
- How much does it cost?
- The 2026 entry fee has not been published yet. In 2025, mulled wine or punch was included in the fee, and 5 Taler from each entry went to Hamburg charities (source: stpauli-x-mass-run.de).