{"id":2211165,"date":"2025-12-24T17:10:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T17:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2211165"},"modified":"2025-12-24T17:10:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T17:10:13","slug":"santas-secret-nyc-inside-the-sell-out-adults-only-holiday-burlesque-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/santas-secret-nyc-inside-the-sell-out-adults-only-holiday-burlesque-hit\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Santa\u2019s Secret&#8217; NYC: Inside the sell-out, adults only holiday burlesque hit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F12%2Fnewspress-collage-jqbdrbpur-1766595716852.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261766577972\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>T\u2019was a Tuesday night before Christmas, and high atop the glittering Shops at Columbus Circle, a ripped, shirtless Santa straddles a middle-aged woman, grinding to a thumping beat as a half-horrified, half-thrilled crowd of onlookers erupts in screams, whistles and laughter.<\/p>\n<p>Sequins flash, cocktails spill, and phones whip out\u00a0to capture the moment, as <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/12\/17\/lifestyle\/welcome-to-your-steamy-new-holiday-fetish-santa-claus\/\">the object of this not-so-old St. Nick\u2019s momentary affections<\/a> shrieks and flails in mock protest, ultimately finding herself powerless. <\/p>\n<p>Santa, joined by a bevy of cackling drag queens and dancers shaking feathered skirts, flexes his pecs and winks at his audience. The room pulses with sexy, happy energy.<\/p>\n<p>The weather outside may be frightful, but the atmosphere at \u201cSanta\u2019s Secret\u201d \u2014\u00a0one of NYC\u2019s hottest holiday shows this year, is steamier than the tropics in August, and to many fans, utterly delightful. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>NYC\u2019s hot-selling Santa\u2019s Secret cabaret features a shirtless St. Nick, a bevy of barely-clad dancers and an audience that can\u2019t get enough.  <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite the howling December winds practically begging New Yorkers to stay home and cuddle, the night\u2019s show was completely sold out, organizers said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Now in its fifth year, the ringmaster of this carnival of festive oddities is opera singer Shequida (real name Gary Hall, who wrote, directs and stars) \u2014 a Swarovski-dripping drag diva who plays the Ice Queen, Santa\u2019s \u201cdisgruntled first wife,\u201d freshly freed and ready to spill decades\u2019 worth of tea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe world wasn\u2019t ready for a Black drag queen Mrs. Claus,\u201d Shequida declares loudly, before announcing her mission: vengeance, justice \u2014 and satisfying her sexual urges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey annulled our marriage and locked me away for thousands of years \u2014 but tonight I broke free and I\u2019m getting horny, baby!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A burlesque performer gives her all on stage at Santa\u2019s Secret, an adults-only NYC show featuring a Christmas-y cast of sexy characters. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Before taking nearly everything off on stage, Santa can be found giving playful spankings to the audience as they file in for the performance. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Leaving nothing to chance, the Ice Queen proceeds to simulate fellatio with a microphone, announces that \u201call sluts\u201d are now allowed in the North Pole \u2014 and impressively flirts with everyone in the vicinity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Guests pay $75 and up for an audience with Shequida and crew, first wandering upon arrival through eight immersive installations \u2014 complete with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/11\/26\/lifestyle\/santa-baby-target-gives-kris-kringle-a-sexy-makeover-in-new-holiday-ads-and-lusty-viewers-cant-get-enough\/\">naughty gingerbread ladies<\/a>, rugged lumberjacks and twinkling snow globes \u2014 before landing inside Santa\u2019s secret showroom. <\/p>\n<p>Here, Christmas cocktails like the Mistlehoe Glow flow (Tanqueray gin, St-Germain, tonic, cranberries, rosemary), caviar is served upon request at $125 an ounce, and a live band remixes holiday classics into jazzy, rock-and-roll mashups \u2014\u00a0the whole thing playing out like a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/12\/20\/lifestyle\/blooms-flirty-ai-santa-wants-to-sext-with-you-very-naughty\/\">festive fever dream<\/a>, crossed with a speakeasy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Guests at Santa\u2019s Secret pay $75 to meet and greet with the performers before taking their seats in a \u201chidden\u201d showroom for the hour-long spectacle. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The spectacle features a tight cast of about 10 performers \u2014 a high-energy mix of dancers, singers and acrobats \u2014 with each character bursting to life through its own over-the-top number.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a barely dressed lumberjack, the Black Swan, the \u201creal\u201d Barbie, the Nutcracker, the (now more devilish) Christmas Angel and the Gingerbread Lady \u2014 all familiar faces, just turned way up and decidedly more R-rated than you remember.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The adults-only spectacle features a tight cast of 10, from an all-grown-up Nutcracker to a nearly-undressed Barbie doll. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Acrobatics are a popular part of the show, which runs through Dec. 31 and has frequently sold out, according to organizers. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Opera singer and part-time drag diva Shequida is the master of freaky ceremonies at Santa\u2019s Secret. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Once the drinks hit the lamp-lit tables, the hour-long show begins, blurring fantasy and reality with cheeky rewrites of beloved Christmas lore \u2014 along with playful audience interaction and jaw-dropping performances that earn nightly standing ovations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As the night unfolds, the crowd learns the \u201creal x-rated story\u201d of the Nutcracker, and that the \u201creal Barbie had curves\u201d \u2014 proved by a voluptuous burlesque dancer \u2014 and that Santa\u2019s infamous Black Swan scandal involved a bombshell who ditched him for a ripped lumberjack, sending St. Nick into a jealous spiral that allegedly led to a North Pole sex ban.<\/p>\n<p>And as the Ice Queen finally breaks free, she unleashes the North Pole\u2019s best-kept secrets, setting everyone else loose along with her.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A sexy lumberjack stops for a pre-show chat with an audience member at Santa\u2019s Secret.  <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI think the holiday season is so sexy,\u201d Shequida told The Post afterward \u2014\u00a0saying that she \u201cwrote the show to be a really fun, cheeky and adult way of looking at Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s campy, chaotic, occasionally cringe \u2014 and the audience appeared to love it all. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI came in totally blind with my friends and had no idea what to expect, but I loved the idea of it being a sexy show,\u201d Julia Azcona of Ridgewood, Queens, told The Post.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Audience members, many of them New Yorkers, told The Post they had a ball at the sexy show. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI was surprised by the amazing dancing and singing \u2014\u00a0and at how beautiful the costumes were. I\u2019m very satisfied,\u201d she said with a giggle.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Her favorite moment? The \u201cnaughty Christmas angel,\u201d a performer who floated onstage in full holy regalia \u2014 wings, ballgown and all \u2014 before stripping it away to reveal strategically placed jingle bells and inviting audience members to ring them.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>Brooklynite Manny Romano came to \u201cSanta\u2019s Secret\u201d for date night with his wife, Yesenia Batista, after learning about the show through a friend who worked on the production.<\/p>\n<p>Romano told The Post that he loved the \u201creally cool idea\u201d of \u201crevealing each North Pole secret with its own performance and music,\u201d saying it \u201cbrought you back to your childhood, but in an adult way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also loved the interactive walkthrough on the way to my seat itself,\u201d Romano added, noting that being welcomed by drag queen hostess Prima and other festively dressed staff made the night feel immersive from the start. \u201cIt was like there was show even before the main show.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Batista agreed \u2014 and said the experience stood out in a city overflowing with holiday spectacles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Christmas shows, sometimes they can be tacky or really cringey and really overdo it all,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I thought this was so well-done, unique and apart from the show itself, the drinks and food were so great.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Santa\u2019s Secret will run Dec. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31, with two shows nightly at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/feverup.com\/m\/485969?cp_landing_term=cta_hero&amp;cp_landing_source=santassecret&amp;utm_medium=organic&amp;utm_source=google&amp;cp_landing=cta_hero\">Tickets<\/a> start at $75 for general seating, while $110 VIP reserved seats put guests closer to the stage \u2014 and well within the performers\u2019 naughty little orbit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>T\u2019was a Tuesday night before Christmas, and high atop the glittering Shops at Columbus Circle, a ripped, shirtless Santa straddles a middle-aged woman, grinding to a thumping beat as a half-horrified, half-thrilled crowd of onlookers erupts in screams, whistles and laughter. Sequins flash, cocktails spill, and phones whip out\u00a0to capture the moment, as the object [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2211166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[389849,22116,360055,362407,21741,25404,21818,413189,25879,379058],"class_list":["post-2211165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-burlesque","tag-christmas","tag-columbus-circle","tag-drag-queens","tag-entertainment","tag-exclusive","tag-lifestyle","tag-lincoln-square","tag-metro","tag-santa-claus"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Santas-Secret-NYC-Inside-the-sell-out-adults-only-holiday-burlesque.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2211165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2211167,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211165\/revisions\/2211167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2211166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2211165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2211165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2211165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}