What really happens inside Europe’s Biggest Sex Expo (Venus, Berlin)

Outside Venus Expo, Berlin

Picture this, queens. A freezing Berlin morning. Everyone outside the expo centre is in puffer jackets, trackies and head-to-toe black, looking very chill.

You would never, ever guess what was going on inside.

▶ Inside the Kinky Venus hall

Welcome to Venus Berlin: Europe's biggest sex expo, and apparently it's been running for around 30 years. I've been to plenty of industry trade shows before (lots of lanyards, lots of spreadsheets, lots of products we could never show on insta), but this was a whole different beast. Venus is open to the public. And the public came dressed for it.

The public came dressed for it

Check your coat... and everything else

There's a coat check on the way in. Handy. Some people took that to a whole other level

I walked down the stairs and the first thing I saw was a bum. One guy had checked in every single item of clothing and was strolling around in just his shoes and his phone strapped into a running armband. Practical, I'll give him that. Gotta track those steps king.

Shoes on, everything else checked in

Even though that took me by surprise, here's what I loved about it: nobody blinked. Not one person. That ended up being the theme of the whole weekend. People were free to be exactly who they wanted to be, and everyone around them just... let them.

▶ Latex on the stairs

Doms, subs and everything in between

Buckle up, because there was a LOT of BDSM.

Women leading their submissives around on leashes. Latex everywhere. People who called themselves "sissies" or "slaves" happily trotting along behind their dominants.

▶ Leashes and latex everywhere

Quick lil explainer for anyone new to this world: a consensual dom/sub dynamic is about handing control over to someone you trust. The dominant takes the lead and takes responsibility for looking after their sub, all within boundaries they've agreed on beforehand. It's not about anyone getting hurt against their will. It's trust, negotiation and care, often wrapped up in a very shiny outfit. From what I saw, the doms were all women and the subs all seemed to be men. Here are a few highlights:

Perched on shoulders

▶ Making an entrance

Another woman had tied her sub to a sign, exactly like you'd leave your dog outside the supermarket. Good boy.

▶ Waiting patiently by the sign

Over by the bar, a domme was whipping a sub on all fours while everyone around them sipped their wine. A little later she was using him as a chair. Ergonomic.

▶ Over by the bar

Ergonomic

Another domme was reclining in a chair while her sub kissed and worshipped her feet. Then we spotted another sub massaging, licking and sucking a domme's feet.

▶ Feet were having a weekend

▶ Another sub, another lucky pair of feet

One domme even sponsored a whole stage, and was advertising her femdom and financial domination (aka "findom", where the sub gets their kicks from treating their domme financially) services. She had a throne, and lots going on around her like sub in a gimp mask and another in a cage.

Lady Ayla & her subs

▶ Under the throne

▶ Sub in a gimp mask, another in a cage

Not far from Lady Ayla’s throne we discovered the loud cracking of whips. They were SO LOUD!

Hang & Spank: €10. Bargain

▶ Whips cracking (sound on!)

Things you see while eating a pretzel

Over in the performance hall, AJ and I were having a well-earned pretzel break when we looked over and saw a man who must have been in his sixties: naked, wearing a cock cage and a collar, bent over a lounge while someone gave him a good whipping.

Shows, streams and serious outfits

There were live shows and demos all weekend. We saw a shibari rope demo with glittery rope, online creators with their laptops set up, streaming and camming live from the floor, people were performing eeeverywhere.

Live shows all weekend

▶ The line-up

Creators streaming live from the floor

Another section was dedicated to shopping. Stall after stall of latex, masks, costumes, lingerie and fetish gear.

Stall after stall of masks and leather

A vending machine with mystery packages

The dolphin net (??)

As well as shopping for outfits, there was also plenty of sex and pleasure-based furniture to choose from. Like this contraption, which reminded me of deep sea fishing (??)

Trawled

You stand on a little round platform under a big metal frame, and as the net gets raised it scoops you up and lifts you right off the ground. The idea is total surrender: you hand over control, and your partner gets to touch and tease you while you're dangling there, completely at their mercy.

▶ Getting scooped up

AJ's turn in the net

AJ sampling a mask for sale

▶ AJ suiting up

Toys, dolls and the €30,000 butt plug

Of course there were stands absolutely heaving with dildos, toys and accessories. This is the type of content that I’m neverrr able to show on Insta.

▶ Stands absolutely heaving

Video showing how these dildos could be stuck to your skin with special adhesive patches

Then came the butt plugs. One was giant (not for sale). Another was, apparently, €30,000, thanks to the €25,000 worth of gold inside it.

One was giant

$30,000 Euro Buttplug

▶ The €30,000 plug

I often feel like I’ve seen it all (and often I’m wrong). Around the corner from the golden buttplug ASSet’s stand was the balloon chair. It's made of super strong balloons with a platform in the middle, where you can pop a dildo and bounce away to your heart's content.

▶ The balloon chair

You could also use it like you’d position yourself on your Bumpy Cuddles pillow:

▶ Face down, hips up

What stayed with me

Leashes, cages, whips at the bar, a man in his birthday suit at the bottom of the stairs. It’s not for everyone…

Was it eye opening? Absolutely. But even so, I always stand by the idea that if everyone involved are consenting adults & having a good time then you do you boo. As much as seeing someone check-in all their clothes at coat check, or a man getting publicly whipped in nothing but a mask & a cock cage surprised me as things I’d never seen before, I’m happy for people to have a safe space to explore and be themselves.