The Cercle Cité opened its doors on Saturday, 1 February, for Family Day 2025, the annual event held at the iconic building on Place d’Armes.
Families were able to enter between 11am–6pm to enjoy a blend of art, culture, and fun. Ranging from wooden toys and games to manga and creative workshops, set within the elegant surroundings of Cercle Cité in Luxembourg City.
One of the highlights was the ‘Urban Forest’ where children worked without their parents to create a living, immersive landscape through sound, light, and acting. The piece was presented without the use of words, instead through associations where each child helped bring a magical world to life for a brief moment.
The creation director, Anne Simon, said: “It’s very important that kids understand that there are, firstly, lots of ways to interpret and feel something, for instance a forest can sound different from one person to another, there are multiple layers that can happen. Secondly, in terms of the less visible aspects of theatre. These are the aspects that kids love playing with like light and sound. We can tell non-verbal stories as well, to make it a lot more accessible.”
There were several collaborations with well-known establishments in the city, such as Villa Vauban, who invited children to explore painting and learn the techniques artists use to bring their creations to life.
Moreover, the Cinémathèque offered participants the chance to create their own optical toys, often used in the pre-cinema era. Teaching children how an optical device can trick observers into believing an object is in motion despite its static nature.
The Lëtzebuerg City Museum was also present, introducing children to a unique piece of Luxembourg’s literary history. They had the opportunity to create their own paper Renert (fox), inspired by Michel Rodange’s fable Renert – a political satire featuring distinctive characters that reflected the social landscape of its time.
The event delighted both young and old, as a child excitedly exclaimed “the games are really fun, they’re not made with electricity, it’s games made of wood and I haven’t played with them before. It’s really cool.” While one parent was impressed with the variety “we’ve got a 6-year-old and two 9-year-olds and they’re all finding things to do to keep them busy, it’s lovely.”
The day concluded with a concert, Pierre et le loup, organised by the Luxembourg City Conservatoire. The performance, a beautiful interpretation of the beloved classical tale, so a fitting end to an all-round wholesome day.
MP Maurice Bauer expressed his delight at the whole event: “The City of Luxembourg places an important emphasis on our children and their development. An opportunity to discover our City its most beautiful building. It’s very nice and very interesting to see how many people have come to enjoy a moment of relaxing and playing.”
He also highlighted the importance of integrating the expat community within Luxembourg stating “I’m so happy to see all this ‘multiplicity’ – as our slogan states – in the Cercle Municipal, because it’s really a place where people are meeting, exchanging, and learning by playing”.
