LUGA Nordstad Unveils Urban Garden, Agricultural Projects

On Wednesday 26 March 2025, members of the press, project partners and other guests attended a launch presentation on the “Nordstad” component of the LUGA - Luxembourg Urban Garden temporary open-air exhibition in Ettelbruck.

LUGA will officially run from 7 May to 18 October 2025, with an evolving programme centred around urban gardens, landscaped and artistic installations, agricultural projects and living spaces. The official opening festivals are scheduled to take place in Luxembourg City (Parc Municipal Edouard André) on Saturday 10 May and in Ettelbruck (Nordstad) on Sunday 11 May 2025. The latter will feature a producers' market, concerts and other entertainment for all ages. The LUGA closing party is expected to take place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 October 2025 (Alzette Valley / Nordstad).

The first part of the LUGA Nordstad launch event on Wednesday morning, held at the Centre des Arts Pluriels Ettelbruck (CAPE), included official speeches and the programme presentation; the second part took the form of a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony on the construction site at Däichwisen.

The Mayor of Ettelbruck, Bob Steichen, kicked off the speeches, noting that the municipality was pleased to be a part of this ambitious initiative. He recalled the strong (historic and present-day) emphasis placed on agriculture in Ettelbruck, which has notably hosted an annual agricultural fair (Foire Agricole Ettelbruck - FAE) for more than 40 years.

Luxembourg's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, Martine Hansen, highlighted the importance of LUGA as a platform to showcase agricultural produce and to connect people. She said the goal was to offer people of all ages, whether residents of tourists, "a taste of our country, culture and agriculture". She praised the efforts made by Ettelbruck as part of the wider LUGA initiative.

LUGA General Coordinator Ann Muller similarly highlighted the good collaboration with Ettelbruck. She invited Sacha Oberweis, head of technical services at the City (municipality) of Ettelbruck, and LUGA Project Manager Danielle Goergen to present the LUGA Nordstad programme, which focuses on "Cultivating and experimenting". Some of the highlighted projects (developed together with various partners) include an urban agricultural trail, a community garden, a biochar installation, an agriculture hub at Däichwisen, separate hydroponics and aquaponics installations, an outdoor agricultural photography exhibition, an exhibition dedicated to different crops and herbs (including a corn maze), a sensory agricultural garden and an arboretum, among others. The speakers noted that the LUGA exhibition continues to evolve in collaboration with its partners, nature and the seasons.

20+ thematic weeks are planned (flowering crops, smart farming, milk, food security, etc.). One of the programme highlights will be the LUGA and FAE double event, taking place from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 July 2025. In addition to the opening and closing parties, other noteworthy events include: an international competition for the Greater Region of SaarLorLux, running from Wednesday 21 to Friday 23 May; a Milk Day celebration on Sunday 1 June; a conference dedicated to food security at CAPE on Tuesday 10 June; an open day at the experimental fields in Bettendorf on Friday 13 June; a workshop on grains and flour production (for bread) from Thursday 19 to Saturday 21 June; the LUGA Run on Sunday 20 July; an organised walk ("marche populaire") along the urban agricultural trail on Sunday 3 August; a "Let's Liberate Diversity" international conference from Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 September; a day (weekend) centred around cattle breeding on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September; a day dedicated to horses on Saturday 11 October. Noting that there are more projects to come, the organisers assured the programme would offer something for everyone.

The speakers and guests subsequently headed over to the Däichwisen for the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony (works already started immediately after last year's agricultural fair) on a construction site that will host the LUGA Nordstad pavilion in six weeks' time. The municipality had received a subsidy from Luxembourg's Ministry of the Environment as part of the call for urban green space projects ("Méi Natur an eise Stied an Dierfer").

The official launch event concluded with an outdoor reception.

For more information about the LUGA Nordstad projects and programme, visit https://luga.lu/en/installation_site/nordstad/