Every year, on the first Monday in September, Luxembourg holds a major shopping braderie, also known as Kermesse Monday. It’s an opportunity for retailers to offer unsold items from previous collections at reduced prices, before filling up the shops again with autumn-winter collections.
This year, the 95th braderie will take place on Monday 2 September, from 9am to 7pm, and will bring together more than 200 retailers to liven up the upper town and the Gare neighbourhoods, with almost 1,300 linear metres of stalls. Traders will be displaying their wares on tables and racks set up in the pedestrianised streets, or in front of their shop windows.
“It’s a moment that many people look forward to. It’s an opportunity not only to do good business, but also to spend a convivial moment together in the street, to meet friends and acquaintances, and to take advantage of the entertainment on offer for the occasion,” says Mireille Rahmé, president of the Union commerciale de la ville de Luxembourg (UCVL), the retailers’ trade association.
Numerous stands and prizes to be won
Numerous events and food stalls are also being organised. A large ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ set up on the kiosk in the Place d’Armes, will be giving participants the chance to win over €7,000 worth of gifts donated by retailers. The City of Luxembourg is also giving away more than 330 “Cup2Go” cups. In the Gare district, activities for children and families are being organised on the Place de Paris: construction and imitation games by Ludoland, Lego workshops by Bricks4Kids and an introduction to graffiti by Thomas Iser and the non-profit organisation I Love Graffiti. There will also be musical entertainment provided by the retro brass band “Ça gaze” and DJ Urban.
As well as retailers from city centre and the Gare, a number of retailers from other districts and towns in the country will also be present. “There will also be a number of stands selling services such as photovoltaic energy production,” explains Anne Darin, director of the UCVL.
Offers starting on Saturday
“As not everyone has Kermesse Monday off, we’ve extended the sale period, which starts on Saturday 31 August. Some retailers will be taking advantage of this to open on Sunday 1 September as well,” explains Rahmé. The list of shops open on Sunday between 2pm and 7pm is available on .
The braderie is a busy time in the streets of Luxembourg. Archive photo: Romain Gamba
What’s more, the flea market organised once a month by the City of Luxembourg between April and October will not be taking place in the Place Guillaume or the Glacis, but in the Avenue de la Gare, adding an extra attraction.
For the occasion, several streets will be cleared of private traffic and public transport, which will be diverted (for more information on the changes and adaptations, see ). To mark the occasion, the Place de l’Europe and Fort Wedell car parks will be free of charge on Monday 2 September. The Fort Neipperg car park will be offering 4 hours of free parking on Saturday 31 August and two hours of free parking on Sunday 1 and Monday 2 September.
A time to showcase the shops
“This event is always a very festive moment for our city and our retailers,” says the mayor of the City of Luxembourg, Lydie Polfer (DP). “It gives a good image of our commercial activity, which includes 586 shops at the station and 722 in the upper town.”
Asked about the vacancy rate, Polfer explained that “it remains in line with the national average, at 10.87% for the city, and is slightly higher for the Gare district, at 13.54%, but of which 2.22% of which are closed due to works or renovation.”
“This commercial event is generally very popular with Luxembourg retailers,” stresses Darin. “For foreign players, such as international groups, we need to make them aware of this local tradition and explain the principle of the event, which is not known throughout Europe. It’s also our role to explain to them that this event represents a great opportunity for their sector.”
This article was originally published in .