(L-R) Maurice Bauer, Deputy Mayor of City of Luxembourg; Lydie Polfer, Mayor of City of Luxembourg; Credit: Jazmin Campbell, Chronicle.lu

On Monday 22 December 2025, the City of Luxembourg (Ville de Luxembourg - VdL) held its final "City Breakfast" of the year at City Hall in Place Guillaume II (Knuedler).

Luxembourg City Mayor Lydie Polfer and Chief Alderman (Deputy Mayor) Maurice Bauer welcomed members of the press for an informal end-of-year briefing, during which they reviewed key developments from 2025 and shared updates on various municipal topics.

In her opening remarks, Mayor Lydie Polfer reflected on highlights from the past year, notably the "Trounwiessel" (throne change) celebrations in October 2025, which attracted thousands of visitors to the capital. She also commented on the ongoing Winterlights programme, including the Winterkids Christmas market and children’s activities, noting the positive feedback received so far.

Births, marriages and deaths

The mayor then presented an overview of Luxembourg City's "état civil" (vital records) figures for 2025. The most popular baby names registered in the capital this year were: Noah, Gabriel, Liam and Leo for boys (2024: Gabriel, Leo, Louis, Liam); Sofia, Olivia, Emma and Alice for girls (2024: Emma, Lea, Sofia, Zoe). Chief Alderman Maurice Bauer observed that the most popular boys' names often echoed those found within the Grand Ducal family.

As of 22 December 2025, 5,768 babies had been registered in Luxembourg City. This compares with 5,964 births in 2024 and 5,846 in 2023. While the figure for 2025 (so far) represents a slight decrease over one year, birth numbers remain higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic and have generally increased year on year (2019: 5,536; 2020: 5,628; 2021: 6,006; 2022: 6,042).

The number of marriages registered in the capital has also increased compared to pre-pandemic levels, with 524 marriages recorded as of 22 December 2025. Previous figures were 589 in 2024, 558 in 2023, 544 in 2022, 434 in 2021, 410 in 2020 and 498 in 2019.

There were 1,543 registered deaths in Luxembourg City in 2025 (as of 22 December), compared to 1,611 in 2024 and 1,574 in both 2023 and 2022.

End-of-year opening hours and public transport

Mayor Polfer noted that Christmas Day and Boxing Day (public holidays) fall on a Thursday and Friday this year, limiting opportunities for weddings during the holiday period.

City Hall and the "Bierger-Center" will be open from 08:00 to 12:00 on Wednesday 24 December (Christmas Eve) and closed on Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day), Friday 26 December (Boxing Day) and Thursday 1 January (New Year’s Day). Both will remain open until 16:00 on Wednesday 31 December (New Year's Eve).
The "État civil" offices will be open until 12:00 on 24 December and until 16:00 on 31 December, with a limited "permanence" service (for birth and death registrations only) from 09:30 to 11:30 on 25 and 27 December. They will be closed on 26 December and 1 January.

The city's recycling centre will close at 12:00 (last entry at 11:45) on 24 December and at 17:00 (last entry at 16:45) on 31 December and will be fully closed on 25 and 26 December and on 1 January.

VdL buses will operate on a holiday schedule, with no services running from 20:00 on 24 December until 08:00 on 25 December. Regular bus services are expected to resume around 08:00 on 1 January. On New Year's Eve, the City Night Bus will operate eight bus lines until 06:30 on 1 January, alongside selected regular bus services. Further details are available at sylvestre.vdl.lu.

Pickpocket warning and fireworks ban

Mayor Polfer relayed a police warning regarding pickpocketing incidents, advising the public to be vigilant. She also recalled that fireworks are banned in Luxembourg City, noting the heightened risk of fires in certain areas.

Pedibus network expansion

Chief Alderman Maurice Bauer shared some news about the "Pedibus" ("Walking Bus") programme, launched in 2021. The initiative currently operates nineteen routes across eight districts of Luxembourg City, collecting Cycle 1.1 pupils from set stops and safely escorting them to school. To date, 218 children have been registered.

Due to rising demand, a new line (Ligne 1 Belair-Kayser) will be added to the Pedibus network from Monday 5 January 2026. The route covers 952 metres with four stops. An additional nine new lines are planned, with buses set to serve schools in Limpertsberg, Eich and Bonnevoie-Schlecter after the 2026 Carnaval holidays, bringing the total to 29 routes.

The VdL has launched a call for applications to recruit people to accompany the children. Part of the role is also raising road safety awareness. Further information and application details are available at accompagnateur.vdl.lu.

New trails and playground extension at Bambësch

The chief alderman also announced new walking trails and an extension of the "Bambësch" forest playground. Based on feedback collected through the "Urban Forestry" survey, three new colour-coded trails with various difficulty levels (similar to ski runs: blue, red and black) are being introduced across different areas of the forest. Visitors have the option of completing individual trails or combining them.

In parallel, the VdL is extending the playground with a new, smaller area linking it more closely to the surrounding forest. This play area is aimed at children aged six and up. The project has been developed with professional companies and its safety certified by Luxcontrol. Around ten trees and approximately 80 metres of hedges will also be planted this winter. Mayor Polfer described the project as "really very nice".

Short-term stays at Konviktsgaart

Mayor Polfer announced the availability of seven short-term rooms at the Konviktsgaart assisted living residence for seniors. The rooms are intended for elderly people living alone when family members are temporarily unable to care for them, or for those wishing to test the residence before considering a more permanent stay. Stays range from three days to three months.

Questions from the press

During the Q&A session, Chronicle.lu asked about the timeline for the planned tram extension between Stäreplaz (Place de l’Étoile) and the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL). Mayor Polfer said it was too early to comment, as the project still requires parliamentary approval in 2026. She noted that funding would be shared between the VdL (one-third) and the state (two-thirds), with decisions involving multiple stakeholders, including Luxtram. More news on this project is expected next year.

Asked about a recent BBC article naming Luxembourg City's Christmas markets the best in Europe, Mayor Lydie Polfer and Chief Alderman Maurice Bauer said they were "very happy" the markets were considered among the nicest. The mayor added that they often receive positive feedback from the public, highlighting the new Advent calendar house (Adventskalennerhaus) on Knuedler and the Kinnekswiss open-air ice rink as particular successes.

In response to a question about a potential drone show for New Year's Eve, Mayor Polfer said no such large-scale public celebration was currently planned but did not rule out such events in the future. She added that the National Day Eve fireworks are a unique, once-a-year occasion bringing together 100,000 people.