When and where
Dates of upcoming fairs
| Year | When |
|---|---|
| 2024 | From 23 August 2024 to 11 September 2024 |
Times
Every day between 12:00 and 1:00*
* Gastronomic businesses may choose to open at 11:00.
Where
Champ du Glacis
Programme
The full programme will be published in due course.
Giant annual funfair
The Schueberfouer is the largest funfair in Luxembourg and the Greater Region. From late August to early September, visitors flock to the fairground at Champ du Glacis to experience the magical atmosphere of the Luxembourg City funfair, which covers a whopping 4 hectares in the heart of the city.
The Schueberfouer is also a hotbed of popular and innovative gastronomy. Visitors come to eat delicious Gromperekichelcher: the famous quintessentially Luxembourgish potato pancakes.
The City of Luxembourg, which organises the Schueberfouer each year, is proud to offer visitors and locals alike a wonderful mix of tradition, gastronomy and thrills – there’s nothing quite like it anywhere else in Europe.
Gallery
About
Our Schueberfouer has a lengthy history and is one of the few uniquely Luxembourgish traditions that survive to this day. Before it was established, there had long been plans for a large annual market in Luxembourg City.
But it was John the Blind, King of Bohemia and Count of Luxembourg, who founded the fair through the Charter of 20 October 1340. Among other things, this charter ruled: "Every year, it [the fair] shall mark the start of the vigil of the feast of St. Bartholomew and shall last for eight full consecutive days." This is why the beginning of the Schueberfouer is always tied to 24 August, the Feast of St Bartholomew.
The name "Schueberfouer" derives from "Schuedbuerg", the first place where the fair was held, which is located on what is now the Plateau du Saint-Esprit. "Schuedbuerg" became "Schuedbermiss" and then "Schuebermëss". According to other sources, there is a connection with the German word "Schober", which used to mean a covered place to store hay.
Up to the French revolution
For nearly 450 years, until the French Revolution, the Schueberfouer was a large market, which came to include a cattle market known as "St Bartholomew's Market". For a long time, the Schueberfouer stood at the crossroads of some of Europe's most important trading routes and was itself a major centre of trade and commerce. It was a place where fabrics, porcelain and all types of goods were sold.
As the fair grew over time, it became too big for its original site. The "Fouer" relocated to Limpertsberg in 1610 (to a place near its current location, north of what is now Allée Scheffer) after this area was cleared of trees to fortify the city.
The transformation of a market into a funfair
In the 18th century, new attractions were added and the "Fouer" gradually became what we would now consider a fair. There was music, dancing, games of skill, eating and of course drinking. The first rides were introduced in 1844.
In 1893, to allow for the urban development of Limpertsberg after the fortress was demolished, the Schueberfouer moved to its current site, the Champ du Glacis.
The beginnings of the modern Schueberfouer
A small Ferris wheel and a figure-8 roller-coaster appeared in the early 20th century.
Since then, increasingly mechanised and sophisticated rides have taken over the fairgrounds, but have not upstaged the eateries and hawkers. The Schueberfouer, with its 670-year history, has been able to preserve its own unique blend of tradition, market, funfair and cultural event. It remains strongly rooted in Luxembourg's collective consciousness, making it the number-one gathering place and highlight of the summer season – today more than ever.
Lämmy the mascot
Lämmy is the Schueberfouer's mascot. The fair's sheep mascot – yes, Lämmy is a sheep – was drawn by Emile Schlesser, a comic strip artist who was born in 1986 and who signs his work as Milli.
Applications
If you wish to operate your fairground business at the Schueberfouer, please submit your application using the appropriate form. Application form and more information
