23 June is National Day! The Luxembourg City municipal council has unveiled its programme for the eve preceding National Day, including free concerts, fireworks, and late-night opening hours for bars, as well as 23 June itself.
Luxembourgers have always been very smart: Although Luxembourg's National Day is on Friday 23 June, the eve preceding the actual holiday is just as eagerly awaited as people traditionally take to the capital to celebrate in good conscience with the day off still ahead of them.
Official festivities will thus kick-off at 9.20pm on 22 June with the traditional torch procession. Participants will cover a 650-metre-long route, starting in the Grand-Rue and including Place Guillaume II for a first time since 2013 when major construction work was launched on the square.
On Place d'Armes, musical entertainment kicks off at 6pm with local folk group Lidderuucht, followed by the Fanfare municipale Luxembourg-Bonnevoie and DJ Simon. To mark the occasion, the trees lining the square will be lit up in red, white and blue. There also bands playing around town, such as at Place Hamilius, Rue du Saint Esprit, Place Auguste Engel, Rue des Bains and Place Heinisch.
The spectacular fireworks display is scheduled to begin at 11pm at Pont Adolphe and will last for about 17 minutes. It's a real banger, accompanied by music composed by the Luxembourg City Conservatoire. Make sure to come early to grab a spot with a good view of the bridge.
As part of its 'City Sounds' series, the municipality of Luxembourg City will also host a number of free live concerts on both national day and the evening preceding the actual holiday. The car park on Glacis square will not be accessible for that reason, which is why visitors are advised to rely on public transport and park and ride locations to get into the City centre.
The line-up includes major local and international acts, including LOST FREQUENCIES, WADE and Flavour Trip on Thursday, and Ice In My Eyes, Francis of Delirium, The Script and The 1975 on Friday (doors at 5pm).
An estimated 100,000 people are expected to flock to the capital on the eve of National Day. Bars have automatically been granted late-night opening permits for the occasion, meaning they can remain open and serve drinks until 3am.
Parking will of course be rather difficult, given many closed streets and Glacis car park. Public transport will be running till late, and many communes have night services for partygoers - hats off to all the heroes working that night. However, keep in mind that during the fireworks show, many lines going across the bridge are suspended for an hour. See all info on public transport here.
As for family- and child-friendly activities, the 'Play Day' will once again be held in the Luxembourg City municipal park from 10am onwards on 23 June. Visitors can expect "over a hundred ... educational workshops and games put on by a host of associations and artists", according the official event website.
On National Day, the programme kicks off at 10am with an official ceremony at the Philharmonie, followed by a 21-gun salute at Fetschenhof at 11am in honour of the Grand Duke. The traditional presentation of arms and military parade will then take place on Avenue de la Liberté from noon onwards. The Te Deum will be held at 4.30pm at Notre Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City, in the presence of members of the grand ducal family.
