40th Annual Luxembourg Fest Held in Wisconsin, USA

From Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 August 2026, the Luxembourg American Cultural Society (LACS) held their 40th annual Luxembourg Fest in and around Belgium in Wisconsin, USA.

Day 1: Annual Members' Meeting

The four-day programme commenced on Thursday with the LACS Annual Members' Meeting at its museum, featuring a presentation by Marc Zimer, a teacher at Lënster Lycée International School, on the Global Connections - Luxembourg Student Exchange Program and how LACS members can play an active role.

It focused on host family experiences, school partnerships and heritage connections, as well as a new postcard-to-penpal idea linked to Luxembourgish language and culture. The interactive session was designed to build lasting relationships and foster lasting Luxembourg-American connections among the next generation.

Afterwards, attendees had the opportunity to mingle over "Luxembourg Libations" and appetisers provided by Kyotes, a local restaurant that supports LACS and Luxembourg Fest.

The LACS museum also hosted the travelling hybrid exhibition "The Luxembourgish Language(s)", which was on display throughout the four days during opening hours, with guided tours taking place twice daily.

Day 2: Cultural Forum

On Friday 7 August 2026, the orum focused on "Multilingualism in Luxembourg's Literature" and took place at the nearby Cedarburg Cultural Center.

Nathalie Jacoby, Director of the Luxembourg Literature Archive (Centre national de littérature), studied in Freiburg and obtained a doctorate in German Studies before lecturing in South Africa. She later worked as a producer and head writer for an audioguide company in London before returning to Luxembourg in 2009. She has also published works on literary didactics and contemporary literature.

She spoke about Luxembourg's literary landscape and its diversity and versatility, with multilingualism being one of its most distinctive features. German, French and Luxembourgish are the predominant languages of literary expression; however, a look into Luxembourg's authors' dictionary reveals many more languages and dialects, all linked in some way to the literary output of the Grand Duchy.

She also addressed some of the unusual aspects of literature from Luxembourg, including what makes Luxembourgish literature unique, as well as the Luxembourgish language's literary journey around the world.

Light refreshments and educational materials were provided for attendees before and during the presentation.

Day 2: Gala Dinner

Later on Friday, the annual Luxembourg Under the Stars benefit gala dinner for 250 people was held for the second year in a row at the Barn at Buechler Farm, a short drive from the LACS museum.

The evening of culinary and cultural celebration commenced with a cocktail social hour featuring specialty drinks with Opyos Luxembourg Dry Gin and Coffee Gin Liqueur, Bofferding beer, Ramborn cider and Vin Moselle wines.

The dinner menu was created especially for the evening and paired with Luxembourg beverages, while attendees enjoyed live acoustic music by Tonic Roots. A photo booth, Luxembourg-themed raffle and complimentary gift were also part of the evening's programme.

The menu included a spring mix salad with strawberries, toasted almonds, fresh feta and poppy seed dressing as a starter. Main course options included crusted pork loin, F'rell am Rèisleck, a traditional Luxembourgish fish dish made with butter-poached walleye, and mushroom risotto, with a vegan alternative also available. Dessert options included raspberry-plum nut tart and Luxembourg sweet love pretzels, followed by tea and coffee.

Proceeds from the evening benefited the Luxembourg American Cultural Society.

Day 3: Luxembourg Fest

The main Luxembourg Fest Day took place on Saturday 8 August 2026, with the annual parade setting off along Main Street at 11:00. Various community representatives participated, including past Luxembourg’s Fest Dukes and Duchesses.

The festival grounds opened at 11:30 and featured a number of stalls, including: the Honored Family Tent, presenting Honored Families through the years; the LACS stall, offering clothing and other items; and Luxembourg Legacy, offering Luxembourg family history services. Among them, there was also a vendor's corner, craft corner and children's games, ranging from Straw Bale Mountain to Keelespill, a Luxembourgish nine-pin bowling game, and Giant Jenga.

Various food and drink stands offered Luxembourg beer, wine and cider, as well as both Luxembourgish and American food options, ranging from “mettwurst” (seasoned sausage) and “mustreipen” (blood sausage) to burgers, “bratwurst” (German sausage) and hot dogs. Belgian waffles and root beer floats were also available, illustrating elements of both culinary traditions.

The Treipen-eating contest and Sheepshead card tournament were also held, drawing crowds, while children's entertainment was provided by Jason Kollum, who performed an interactive soup-bubble show.

Zero Point Five and Devon De Lux performed live music from the stage throughout the day, while DJ Grand Master O! performed a number of sets.

Day 4: Fest Mass

On Sunday, the traditional Luxembourg Fest Mass took place in the centre of Belgium. The Mass has formed a central part of Luxembourg Fest since the festival began in 1987.

Afterwards, the 2026 Fest pageantries, Chris and Lisa Plier, were crowned the 40th Luxembourg Fest Duke and Duchess.

ED