Luxembourg has an active Spring, Summer and Fall festival schedule. From music, wine and agriculture, to dance, beer, pottery and art. See below for the wealth of offerings from May through December of this year if you’ll be in Europe anytime in the next several months. Below is a shot of Luxembourg National Day which obviously includes a national parade.
May
International Classical Music Festival, Echternach. National and visiting orchestras play in the Basilica and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. Contact Festival International Echternach (tel. 72-83-47; www.echternachfestival.lu). May to June and September.
Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg, Luxembourg City and Diekirch. Grand religious processions in honor of the Virgin Mary. Contact Luxembourg City Tourist Office (tel. 22-28-09; www.lcto.lu) and Diekirch Tourist Office (tel. 80-30-23; www.diekirch.lu). Fourth to sixth Sundays after Easter.
Féerie du Genêt/Geenzefest, Wiltz. The flower parade and festival includes a street market. Contact Féerie du Genêt (tel. 95-89-72; www.geenzefest.lu). Monday after Pentecost.
Procession Dansante (Dancing Procession), Echternach. Colorful and internationally renowned centuries-old folk-dancing procession in honor of the Irish monk and missionary St. Willibrord (658-739), the patron saint of Luxembourg. Contact Echternach Tourist Office (tel. 72-02-30; www.echternach-tourist.lu). Tuesday after Pentecost, beginning at 9am.
Danz Festival Lëtzebuerg, Luxembourg City. A weeklong festival of modern dance performed by both local and foreign troupes. Contact Centre de Création Choréographique Luxembourgeois (tel. 40-45-69; www.danzfestival.lu). May 24 to May 31, 2009; similar dates in 2010.
June
Fête de la Musique, multiple locations around the Grand Duchy. Culminating on the summer solstice, June 21, the longest day of the year, Luxembourg City and around 20 other towns and villages put on a week of music performances from all kinds of musical genres. Contact Fête de la Musique (tel. 621-39-81-37; www.fetedelamusique.lu). June 18-21 in 2009; similar dates in 2010.
Luxembourg National Day, Luxembourg City. Gala celebration featuring festival activities, the Grand Duke reviewing his guards with all the pomp and ritual of centuries past, and fireworks. Contact Luxembourg City Tourist Office (tel. 22-28-09; www.lcto.lu). June 23.
Wine Festival, Remich. Open-air celebrations and wine tasting. Contact Remich Tourist Office (tel. 23-69-84-88; www.moselle-tourist.lu). End of June to August.
July
Festival de Wiltz, Wiltz. International open-air theater performances every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Incorporates a music program at the Château de Wiltz. Contact Festival de Wiltz (tel. 95-74-41; www.festivalwiltz.lu). Throughout July.
Open-Air Concerts. Evening concerts on place d’Armes, Luxembourg City. Contact Luxembourg City Tourist Office (tel. 22-28-09; www.lcto.lu). Throughout July.
Agricultural Fair, Ettelbruck. Luxembourg’s largest annual fair for the farming industry. Contact Foire Agricole (tel. 81-91-81-377; www.foireagricole.lu). First weekend in July.
Remembrance Day, Ettelbruck. Celebration in honor of U.S. Gen. George S. Patton, whose Third Army troops liberated Luxembourg in World War II. Contact Musée Général Patton, rue du Dr. Klein 5 (tel. 81-03-22; www.patton.lu). Second weekend of July.
Old Diekirch Festival, Diekirch. Folklore events, music, and street market. Contact Diekirch Tourist Office (tel. 80-30-23; www.diekirch.lu). Second weekend of July.
Beer Festival, Diekirch. A popular event in this beer-brewing town. Contact Diekirch Tourist Office (tel. 80-30-23; www.diekirch.lu). Third Sunday in July.
August
Pottery Festival, Nospelt. The center of Luxembourg’s pottery industry opens its workshops and hosts a street market for pottery and handicrafts. Contact Musée de la Poterie (tel. 30-03-07). First weekend in August.
Procession of the Holy Virgin, Girsterklaus. Pilgrimage dating back to 1328. Contact Echternach Tourist Office (tel. 72-02-30; www.echternach-tourist.lu). Sunday after August 15.
Schobermesse, Luxembourg City. A big amusement fair and street market. Contact Luxembourg City Tourist Office (tel. 22-28-09; www.lcto.lu). Two weeks, beginning next-to-last Sunday in August.
September
Fête du Raisin et du Vin, Grevenmacher. A splendid folklore procession celebrates the local grape harvest and the new Moselle wine season. Contact Comité des Fêtes de la ville de Grevenmacher (tel. 621-37-26-28; www.grevenmacher.org). Second weekend in September.
Wine and Grape Festival, Greiveldange. A folkloric procession, wine tastings, and election of the “Wine Queen” greet the new Moselle grape harvest. Contact Caves Coopératives des Vignerons de Greiveldange (tel. 23-69-66-1). Third weekend in September.
December
Marché de Noël/Krëschtmaart, Luxembourg City. Stalls selling all kinds of seasonal crafts, food, and drink — be sure to try the glühwein (mulled wine) — are set up on place d’Armes for the annual Christmas Market. Contact Office des Fêtes, Foires et Marchés (tel. 47-96-42-94; www.kreschtmaart.lu). Late November to December 24.
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