Part 1 // Articles
Summer party sounds. Throughout the summer, the city of Luxembourg will be staging colourful and festive street events offering members of the public a wide-ranging programme of open-air musical events and street performances.
O
rganised by the Luxembourg City Tourist Office and its cultural various partners, these free events, which are aimed at people from all walks of life, will liven up the days, the evenings and the nights of the capital this summer. From children to night owls, lovers of jazz, rock, contemporary music and world music, the Summer in the City festival, which this year celebrates its 15th anniversary, will delight both residents and visitors to the city alike. Throughout the summer, sitting at the terraces of the cafés and restaurants of Place d’Armes, the main square of the city centre, anyone will be able to listen to the sounds of marching bands, jazz groups, classical ensembles and other musicians who will be performing on the bandstand. On 7 July, place Guillaume II, place Clairefontaine and rue du SaintEsprit will host the World MeYouZik Festival, featuring three open-air stages and showcasing musical ensembles from all around the world. The biggest stage, known as the “Lion Stage”, at place Guillaume II, will host such acts as Fanfaraï, Bombino, the Idan Raichel Electronic Project and Los de Abajo, while rue du Saint-Esprit will focus more on a programme featuring DJ sets and electronic music. Place Clairefontaine will host the “MeYouVillage” world village, which will act as a convivial gathering place for aid and development NGOs. This promises to be a welcoming and warm festival reflecting the multicultural richness of the Grand-Duchy, where drinking stands and hot food stalls will offer visitors both local and international gastronomic products. The day after that will see the opening of the Rock um Knuedler festival, which will keep the festive atmosphere going at these same outdoor stages, with this year’s top billing going to Roger Hodgson,
EN
38
the renowned singer and cofounder of Supertramp, whose concert, the second European date on his Breakfast in America Tour 2012, will doubtless be the rock highlight of the season. Throughout the afternoon and the evening, the various stages will host exponents of the very active local rock scene. A lounge area will be available to welcome audiences in a more “cosy” way. At the heart of the Grund, on the forecourt of the Abbaye de Neumünster, opposite the illuminated fortifications, the OMNI – Objets Musicaux Non Identifiés (Unidentified Musical Instruments) – festival set its focus on contemporary music, ranging from jazz to rock, gypsy music, Indian rythmic music and much, much more. Big acts such as the Noa & Mira Awad duo, Norah Jones, Jan Garbarek, will be performing outdoors. Another highlight of the month of July: the Blues’n Jazz Rallye. Organised by the Luxembourg City Tourist Office and the Blues Club Lëtzebuerg, the festival will be taking place on the banks of Clausen and the Grund, and will turn these areas into an intensive jazz centre that will host more than 50 concerts by acts of the international and local scenes. All jazz music styles will be represented, from blues to new generation electro, rockabilly, funk and jazz fusion, with the ever so picturesque sights of Luxembourg’s lower old town in the background. The open-air concerts will begin at the start of the evening and will last until 1 a.m., and, for night owls, the revelry will continue until the early hours in the surrounding bars and restaurants. The Blues’n Jazz Rallye is not only renowned for the quality of its music programme, but also for making this an ideal evening to stroll about, meet people and share a drink with friends. During the weekend of 11 and 12 August, a major street festival will be staged throughout Luxembourg-city. The pedestrian zone of the upper town will be transformed into a fairytale, fun and extravagant space in which performers from all around Europe will stage acts for the greatest delight of children and adults alike. Streeta(rt)nimation features a parade and 80 fixed and roving performances. This will be a perfect weekend
Lors du week-end des 11 et 12 août, c’est un grand festival de rue qui s’empare de Luxembourg-ville. During the weekend of 11 and 12 August, a major street festival will be staged throughout Luxembourg-city.
for a family stroll, promising major surprises featuring stiltwalkers, acrobats, jugglers, dancers, comedians, etc. From mid-July to mid-August, in the courtyard of the Théâtre des Capucins, films will be screened outdoors every Friday and Saturday evening. Entrance is free of charge, and in keeping with its reputation for excellence, the cinémathèque will be offering up quality films for all age groups. On 23 August, the famous Schueberfouer will begin; this is one of the biggest fairs in Europe, definitely an event that is not to be missed, a meeting place and attraction for all the inhabitants of the country who come to enjoy the thrills of the rides and specialities from Luxembourg such as Grompere kichelcher (fried potato cakes) and to enjoy the galvanising atmosphere. For the past few years, the fair has featured the Crazy Cinématographe, a highly successful curiosity which plunges audiences into the atmosphere of early cinemas. On 14 and 15 September, the Sum-
mer in the City Closing Act will be ringing the passing of the Summer in the City festival and, with it, the summer season: acts drawn from the QuattroPole (Luxembourg, Metz, Trier and Saarbrücken), will be performing on place Guillaume II. Top billing will go to Lura, a singer from Cap Verde who is considered a worthy heir to Cesaria Evora, and who will be performing songs which evoke the traditional music of her island, inspired by the rhythms of contemporary Africa. Supported by LuxairTours, the concert is being staged for SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde, in the context of its Solidarity 4 Change" campaign. Invited by the charity organisation, Lura took part in the inauguration ceremony of the SOS young people's home of São Domingos, Cape Verde. a charitable action led and financed by various public and private funds from Luxembourg. During the summer season, the city of Luxembourg will be unveiling its most beautiful attractions: the welcoming temperament of its inhabitants and its sense of entertainment amid a splendid setting.
FLYDOSCOPE // 2012 — \3
06_36-38_ART1_SummerInTheCity.indd 38
09/07/12 15:40