Public Screenings, Spectator Zones Confirmed for Pope's Luxembourg Visit

The City of Luxembourg (Ville de Luxembourg) has shared the full schedule and organisational measures in place for Pope Francis' official visit on Thursday 26 September 2024.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to watch the visit unfold on two giant screens, set up in the Kinnekswiss (municipal park) and in Place de Paris, respectively. The live broadcast will cover the following key moments of the visit from 09:45 to 18:15:

- 10:00: Arrival of Pope Francis at Luxembourg Airport, where he will be welcomed by the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess and Prime Minister Luc Frieden;
- 11:00: Pope Francis to meet with the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg-Ville; audience granted by Pope Francis to Luxembourg's Prime Minister;
- 12:00: Pope Francis to meet with the national authorities and the public at the Cercle Cité (Place d'Armes);
- 12:45-13:15: Pope Francis' tour through the city centre in the popemobile;
- 16:30: Pope Francis to meet with members of the Catholic community at Luxembourg's Notre-Dame Cathedral;
-18:15: Departure of Pope Francis from Luxembourg Airport.

The two public broadcasts of the papal visit will be accessible free of charge to anyone interested. Food trucks will be present on-site at the Kinnekswiss as well as on Rue Ste Zithe, near Place de Paris.

A dedicated space is being set up for people with special needs at Kinnekswiss. Reservation is required via the Integration and Special Needs Department by 17:00 on Tuesday 24 September 2024 via email: integratioun@vdl.lu or via tel.: 4796-4150.

Public toilets will be accessible according to their usual schedule, with the exception of those at the Cercle Cité on Rue du Curé, which will be closed on Thursday. Additional portable public toilets will be set up in the city centre and in the Gare district. Mobile water fountains will also be installed at several key locations in Luxembourg City on this occasion.

The City of Luxembourg noted that the popemobile will begin its journey at 12:45 at the Cercle Cité in Place d'Armes. The procession will then pass along Rue Chimay, Boulevard F.D. Roosevelt, Pont Adolphe, Boulevard de la Pétrusse, Rue Heine and Avenue de la Liberté. It will then cross Pont Adolphe again before continuing along Avenue Marie-Thérèse to the Bishop's palace, where the next part of the papal visit will take place around 13:15.

Spectator zones will be set up at key points, particularly along the popemobile route itself. On this route, the Traffic Department will set up mandatory pedestrian crossing points to ensure accessibility and safety for all.

In the context of this papal visit, the City of Luxembourg has advised the public to use the tram and other forms of public transport when possible for travel to and within the capital and, if necessary, allow for longer travel times. The tram will run all day except between approximately 12:00 and 14:00.

Parking and traffic restrictions will be "unavoidable" already from the end of the day on Wednesday 25 September 2024 in certain streets located in the Ville-Haute and Gare districts. On Thursday, the main roads located in the city centre, in particular Boulevard Royal, Avenue Marie-Thérèse and Boulevard F.D. Roosevelt, will be closed to individual/private transport except for pedestrians. The same applies to the Gare district, where the closures will impact in particular the Plateau Bourbon. Similarly, public parking space adaptations are foreseen. Public car parks in the city centre will remain accessible for the most part, with some restrictions.

Deliveries in the areas affected by the papal visit will exceptionally be moved to the time slot from 05:00 to 09:00.

Some cycle routes located in the city centre and in the Gare district will also be inaccessible on Thursday (plus Wednesday evening), as will certain vel'OH!, Chargy and Carloh stations. Public transport adaptations are also foreseen for Thursday; information on bus and tram schedules is available in real time in the VdL CityApp.

Members of the public can also consult the liveticker.vdl.lu website for practical information about the papal visit (traffic information, live broadcasts, etc.). Moreover, two hotlines have been put in place, one for questions about public transport, and another for individual transport.

In addition to the tram and AVL buses, travel disruptions are expected on several RGTR bus lines beyond the capital. All changes to public transport will be available on the mobiliteit.lu website and in the mobile application.