Luxembourg National Day Festivities Return After Pandemic Pause

On Thursday 23 June 2022, Luxembourg will once again celebrate the official birthday of His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri, an occasion widely known as National Day.

Following muted celebrations in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 will see the return of major festivities, from the traditional torchlight procession and firework display in Luxembourg City on the eve of National Day to the official ceremony and military parade on 23 June.

Celebrations are not limited to the capital, with members of the Grand Ducal family and the Luxembourg Government set to attend the festivities organised in Luxembourg City, but also in Esch-sur-Alzette and in Lellingen (municipality of Kiischpelt, in northern Luxembourg) on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 June 2022.

Luxembourg City

National Day festivities in the capital will commence on Wednesday afternoon with the traditional changing of the guard outside the Grand Ducal Palace at 16:00. The torchlight procession will depart Puits Rouge on Grand Rue at 21:20, passing by Rue de l’Ancien Athénée towards Boulevard F D Roosevelt and ending in front of the Passerelle (Luxembourg Viaduct) bridge. A seventeen-minute firework display (fired from Adolphe Bridge) is scheduled for 23:00, accompanied by various musical compositions. A number of concerts will also be taking place across Luxembourg City throughout the evening. For instance, in Place d’Armes, entertainment will begin at 19:00 with Luxembourg folklore in front of the kiosk, followed by concerts by the “Fanfare municipale Luxembourg-Bonnevoie” and the “Fanfare Prince Henri” from 20:00 to 21:15.

The official National Day programme will kick off at 10:00 on Thursday with an official ceremony at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, bringing together members of the Grand Ducal family and the Luxembourg Government, as well as MPs, members of the Council of State, the judiciary, the municipal council of the City of Luxembourg and the diplomatic corps accredited in Luxembourg. On this occasion, both Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and the President of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg’s parliament), Fernand Etgen, will deliver speeches, before presenting honorary distinctions to civilian personalities. The Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg (OPL), the chamber choir and the Pueri Cantores of the Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg will perform on this occasion.

The official ceremony will be followed by the firing of 21 cannon shots in honour of the Grand Duke at Fetschenhof. The traditional presentation of arms and the military parade will then take place in Avenue de la Liberté from 12:00, followed by the Te Deum religious service, in the presence of members of the Grand Ducal family, in Notre-Dame Cathedral at 16:30.

Members of the public are also invited to attend the fourth edition of the “Arméifest” (army festival), which is taking place in Place de Metz on Thursday, from 13:00, following the presentation of arms. A drink and traditional snack will be offered to the public until 16:00. This will also be the occasion for the Luxembourg Army to exhibit some of its equipment and vehicles, with performances by the Luxembourg Military Band and AWACS musical group.

Esch-sur-Alzette

On Wednesday, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess will attend the National Day festivities in Luxembourg’s second largest city, where they will be joined in Place de la Résistance by the Deputy Mayor of Esch-sur-Alzette, Georges Mischo, the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mars Di Bartolomeo, members of the Luxembourg Government and the municipal council of the City of Esch-sur-Alzette. The official delegation will lay a wreath at the foot of the “Monument aux Morts”, a memorial for those who died in the Second World War, before the Hereditary Grand Ducal couple join the official procession towards the town hall. They will later attend the “Escher Volleksfest” festival.

Lellingen

In late Wednesday afternoon, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess will travel to the village of Lellingen to meet Mayor Yves Kaiser and the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Fernand Etgen, as well as members of the Luxembourg Government and the college of aldermen of the municipality of Kiischpelt, in the presence of several MPs from the North constituency. The “Fanfare de Kiischpelt” will perform Luxembourg’s national anthem, “De Wilhelmus”. There will also be an official procession, after which Mayor Kaiser will deliver a welcome speech and introduce the village of Lellingen. Pupils of Schoulkauz primary school in Wilwerwiltz will present their school. Subsequently, the Grand Duke will present medals from the “Fanfare de Kiischpelt” and the CIS Kiischpelt. The Grand Ducal couple will later attend the 30th Open Air Konstfestival, which will transform the village into a living art gallery. They will meet the artists, visit several exhibitions and discover the rural architectural heritage of the village.

The visit will end with a reception at the Hencksescheier, where the Grand Ducal couple will have the opportunity to meet representatives of the institutions and organisations of the municipality, the pupils of Schoulkauz primary school, artists and members of the public.

Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel will deliver his traditional National Day speech in the early evening of Wednesday 22 June 2022.

Ahead of the main National Day celebrations, Diekirch already hosted its traditional military ceremony in Place Guillaume on Tuesday 21 June 2022. Colonel Yves Kalmes, Commander of the Forces, led the military parade on Tuesday morning.