Thursday, April 28, 2011

Rubber Duck Invasion This Saturday (April 30)

It’s an avian April here in Luxembourg Ville. Last weekend, we were invaded by ceramic bird whistles at Éimaischen and on tap for this weekend, 10,000 rubber ducks will flood the Pétrusse River for the 10th annual Duck Race, a yearly fundraiser put together by the charitable organization Roundtable Luxembourg.

The duck race will be held this Saturday, April 30 in the Pétrusse Valley by the viaduct, which is next to the mini golf and the petit train. There will be food and entertainment on from noon onward, and the duck race starts at 3pm. It’s definitely a family friendly affair, but a good time for anyone who is looking for a Saturday afternoon activity with the opportunity to hit up – you guessed it – a sausage or beer truck.

Anyone can watch the race for free, but if you’d like to try to pick the lucky duck (pun intended) that crosses the finish line first to snag the grand prize, a Renault New Twingo, you'll need to buy a ticket first. Tickets are 5€. Online tickets have sold out, but you may still be able to snag a ticket from one of the outlets listed below. 

This year, proceeds raised from ticket sales will go to two organizations:

Namasté is a home for severely handicapped children in Mauritius who are suffering from cerebral palsy, autism and other disabilities. Roundtable Luxembourg has partnered with Roundtable Mauritius and will be providing funds to build a new home for these children, who have nowhere else to go; the current home is under-resourced and lacking in space to serve all children in need. Read more about it in this article (in French).

Casa Sf. Iosif is based in Romania and provides housing and day care services to children who have been orphaned or abandoned and to children who have suffered physical and emotional abuse. Visit their web site to learn more (in English and Romanian).

For more information on the 2011 Duck Race, visit their web site (in French). 

Duck Race Ticket Venues:

Luxembourg Ville
Luxembourg City Tourism Office
30, place Guillaume II
L-1648 Luxembourg
Telephone: +352 22 28 09

Electricité Steffes
50, avenue de la Liberté
L-1930 Luxembourg
Telephone: +352 750 5550

Autocenter Goedert Hollerich
140 rte d'Esch
L-1471 Luxembourg
Telephone: +352 48 87 66-201

Autocenter Goedert Bourmircht
Z.A.I. Bourmicht
L-8070 Bertrange
Telephone: +352 48 87 66-501

Bereldange
Autocenter Goedert Bereldange
107 rte de Luxembourg
L-7241 Bereldange
Telephone: +352 48 87 66-60

Bertrange
Autocenter Goedert Bourmircht
Z.A.I. Bourmicht
L-8070 Bertrange
Telephone: +352 48 87 66-501

Esch-Sur-Alzette
Jerry Travel Belvalplaza II
Shopping Center Belvalplaza II
L-4631 Esch-Sur-Alzette
Telephone: +352 54 17 17

Foetz
Autoccenter Goedert Foetz
rue du Brill
L-3898 Foetz
Telephone: +352 48 87 66-401

Junglister
Station Aral
Rue Hiel
L-6131 Junglinster
Telephone: +352 78 82 22 50

5 comments:

  1. Ack! Sorry all - somehow I mixed up the date of the duck race when I initially posted this. (Or as Nick says, I "ducked" up the date...) I've fixed the blog now, but the race is APRIL 30 - Saturday - not Sunday as I idiotically initially posted! Aplogies!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's okay - there are just too many events in the city this weekend to keep track of! We hit the opening of Cercle Cité this morning - it's beautiful! Plus there was a hunter protest - it was hopping.

    This does mean no ducks for us - I liked it better when it was on Sunday :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. We are headed to Cercle Cité now; exciting to know we'll see a protest, too! What a Saturday! :) And I wish the ducks were Sunday, too - it's fun to have Sunday afternoon events to look forward to when everything else is closed. Oh well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You didn't finish the story....did you pick the lucky duck? The new picture on your title page looks so pretty! Was it a shot from one of your outings in the area?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi, Mom. :) The new Luxemblog picture is indeed mine. I took it in Wiltz one afternoon. Not sure about the duck race...the winners are not yet posted online so, while it's highly unlikely that we won, I'm still holding out hope!

    ReplyDelete