What's on in Luxembourg, Luxembourg through the year

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Free public transport

  1 Jan – 31 Dec

  The whole country's buses, trams and second-class trains are free to everyone, residents and visitors alike. There is no ticket to buy and no barrier to tap. Source ↗

Still on: Winterlights markets (20 Nov – 5 Jan (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Festival

  Liichtmessdag

  2 FebMajor festival

  On 2 February children walk the streets after dark with home-made lanterns and sing at doors for sweets. An evening the city keeps for itself, and half an hour later it is over. Source ↗

• Festival

  Buergbrennen bonfires

  22 FebMajor festival

  On the first Sunday of Lent every village and city quarter burns a wooden cross on a hill to see winter off. It is a neighbourhood evening with mulled wine, not a ticketed one. Source ↗

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Festival

  Eimaischen pottery market

  6 AprEaster & Holy Week

  On Easter Monday the Feschmaart fills with potters selling Peckvillercher, the bird-shaped clay whistles everyone leaves with. It has run in the old town since the eighteenth century. Source ↗

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Buergbrennen bonfires (22 Feb)

Busy — Octave pilgrimage and Maertchen, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Octave pilgrimage and Maertchen

  20 Apr – 25 May · usuallyPilgrimage seasonCrowded

  A fortnight of pilgrimage to the cathedral in spring, with a food and trinket market taking over Place Guillaume for the duration and a closing procession through the streets. Source ↗

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Eimaischen pottery market (6 Apr)

Peak crowds — Octave pilgrimage and Maertchen, ING Night Marathon

• Festival

  ING Night Marathon

  1–31 May · usuallyMajor festivalClosuresCrowded

  A marathon run in the evening on a Saturday in May, through the upper town and out onto the Kirchberg plateau, finishing long after dark. The centre closes to traffic from mid-afternoon. Source ↗

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Octave pilgrimage and Maertchen (20 Apr – 25 May (usually))

Busy — National Day, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  National Day

  22–23 JunNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  The eve of 23 June is the event: a torchlit parade through the upper town and fireworks off the Pont Adolphe over the gorge. Everything closes on the day itself. Source ↗

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Season

  August residents' holiday

  25 Jul – 25 Aug · usuallySchool holidaysClosures

  A small capital of commuters empties for the summer, and the Schueberfouer funfair on the Glacis in the last two weeks of August and start of September is what brings the place back. Source ↗

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Schueberfouer, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Schueberfouer

  21 Aug – 9 SepMajor festivalCrowded

  A funfair on the Glacis that has run since the fourteenth century and takes three weeks. Entry is free, the fish stalls are the point, and the city loses its main car park to it. Source ↗

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec), August residents' holiday (25 Jul – 25 Aug (usually))

Busy — Schueberfouer, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Moselle wine harvest

  10 Sep – 20 Oct · usually

  The riesling and elbling terraces along the river east of the city are picked from mid-September, in the small wine towns of Remich, Grevenmacher and Wormeldange a short drive east.

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Schueberfouer (21 Aug – 9 Sep)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Moselle wine harvest (10 Sep – 20 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Festival

  Winterlights markets

  20 Nov – 5 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New Year

  Four squares in the upper town take markets and a rink from late November, with a ferris wheel on Place de la Constitution looking down the valley. It is small and walkable in an evening. Source ↗

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Free public transport (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winterlights markets (20 Nov – 5 Jan (usually))