Friday, October 21, 2011

Weekend Roundup, Oct. 21-23

This face was meant for radio and today, it's going to do just that: I'm making my debut this morning on Luxembourg's ARA City Radio for a very brief, shining moment during Sara Flanagan's 9-11am block to plug a couple of events going on this weekend in Luxembourg. This might be my only shot at radio fame, so wish me luck! (If it goes badly, at least Urban is on my way home.) 

Or, instead of wishing me luck, perhaps you could help everyone else out and chime in below? Overall, I have to say that this is a pretty awesome weekend to be a kid in Luxembourg (check out the Saturday events). But what other activities should be included in the Weekend Roundup that you've got your eye on? 

Friday, Oct. 21

When: Runs through Oct. 23. Friday 2pm-9pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-7pm.
Where: Luxexpo
What: If you’ve got a construction, renovation or home decorating project on your to-do list, this is the place to be. More than 480 exhibitors from a dozen countries are available to talk about their services and show off products that will make your home more fabulous.
Cost: Free tickets are available all over town (or e-mail me for one). If you have to pay, adults are 5€ but children 18 and under are free. 

When: Runs through October 23
Where: CK Sportscenter Kockelscheuer (2, rue Léon Laval, Leudelange)
What: Though called different names under different sponsors, Luxembourg’s international tennis tournament has been running for nearly 20 years. Check out the web site for the order of play on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A few special activities are going on this weekend at the tournament, from a magic show to autograph signings to brunch – check out the event list here.
Cost: Adult tickets for the singles and doubles ¼ Finals are 31€, Semi-Finals are 37€, and Finals are 43€. Ticket information here, but tickets are also available online at LuxembourgTicket.lu. Slightly discounted tickets are available for children 15 and younger.


Saturday, Oct. 22

When: Saturday Oct. 22 only, 10am to 1:30pm (session one), and 2pm to 5:30pm (session two).
Where: Gonderange, 14km northeast of Luxembourg Ville. The address of the event will be sent to you when you RSVP.
What: Twice a year, in June and in October, a small group of artists get together to run this hands-on arts event. It’s a chance for your child, age 1½ to 16, to get creative with paint, clay, tiles, paper, and lots of other colorful mediums. Children choose three activities per session from a list that includes; silk painting, mosaics, t-shirt design, making clay gargoyles, lantern-making, creating dragon puppets from recyclable materials, and painting baby ceramic dragons, mugs, and other items to take home. 

Warm fall foods like chili and pumpkin soup will be available for purchase on site, as will curry and pizza donated by local businesses. Proceeds raised from entrance fees and food sold at the event go to a great cause: 90% of what you pay goes directly to Let the Children Live, an organization which supports street children in Medellín, Colombia by providing them with food, shelter and education. (In the last five years of hosting children’s events like this one, Dragons for Breakfast has raised an impressive 50,000€ for the organization.)

Cost: 25€ per child, per session. RSVP required; spaces are going fast, so e-mail now to reserve a place for your child at info@dragonsforbreakfast.com. (Tip: They've got more availability for the 10am - 1:30pm session.) Parents of young children are encouraged to stick around, but all parents are invited to participate. Art smocks will be provided, but children should dress appropriately for the weather and wear clothes that can withstand a few new art-inspired stains.
Volunteers: They’re still looking for helpers; if you’re interested in volunteering for a shift or for the day, e-mail info@dragonsforbreakfast.com.

When: October 22 to November 3, 10am to 7pm (full day entry), or 2:30 to 7pm (half day entry)
Where:ARobbesscheier’ the rural museum in Munshausen, in northern Luxembourg
What: The Luxembourgish tradition of “Trauliicht Brennen” takes place this time every year. While there’s no door-to-door begging for sweets involved during this late October event, it’s tradition to carve a beetroot (a turnip) into a scary lantern into which a candle is placed; the frightening glow is meant to scare away evil spirits of winter in order to usher the young and old healthfully and happily into the New Year.  

As a special addition to the rural museum’s regular lineup (for kids to adults) of several workshops including; baking, gardening, beekeeping, candle-making, honey-making, pottery-making, animal-feeding, wool-collecting, milling, saw-milling, wheat-harvesting, pony-riding or a colonial carriage ride, scary-turnip-carving (a.k.a. Trauliicht Brennen) has been added to the list. Each workshop lasts for 30-60 minutes and for a full day, up to five workshops can be completed. Workshop registration takes place when you enter the museum. 

If you and your child(ren) would like to take part in something really unique, mark your calendars for October 29, the biggest Trauliicht Brennen event put on by the museum. Beetroots will be carved – get one there or bring your own – and then paraded through Munshausen in a procession. This begins at 6pm.

Cost: A half-day at the museum is 12€ and a full day costs 20€, per person. Calling ahead for the Trauliicht Brennen workshop is a good idea; you can reach the ‘A Robbesscheier’ rural museum at 92 17 45.

Sunday, October 23

When: 10am CET
What: If there’s an excuse for a Sunday morning pint, this is it. France and New Zealand battle it out this morning for the Rugby World Cup.
Where: Urban (2, rue de la Boucherie, old town) is serving a full Irish breakfast, Fu Bar (57 Rue de la Tour Jacob, Clausen) is serving a full breakfast (English, Irish or Scottish, depending what you order), The Tube (8 rue Sigefroi, old town) is serving a full English breakfast, and The Black Stuff (15 Val de Hamm, Pulvermühle) will be showing the game as well.

This certainly isn’t the full list of bars showing the game; if you’ve got an addition, please drop it in the comments section below.

When: 11:30am
What: This week’s weekly jazz brunch features the Big Band Echternach. The concert is free, but you’ll want to stick around for brunch afterward.
Where: The concert and brunch take place in the Brasserie Neumünster in the Grund; reservations recommended. Call 26 20 52 981 or make a reservation online here.
Cost: 30€ per person for the brunch buffet. The jazz is free. 

When: Sunday, Oct. 23 from 2pm – 6pm
Where: Luxembourg Ville, Esch-sur-Alzette, Ettelbruck, Differdange, Grevenmacher, Foetz/Mondercange, and shopping centers: Auchan, Belle Etoile, Belval Plaza, City Concorde, Topaz, the Shopping Arena in Strassen (Batiself), and the Walfer Shopping Center in Walferdange.
What: 352LuxMag reports that this is a more modern Luxembourg tradition, the five-year-old initiative of an organization called “Fédération de la mode”. Shops in larger shopping centers across the country are allowed to open on a Sunday before All Saints Day to give people an extra day to enhance their winter wardrobes. I was out of town last year, but I hear folks really get into it, with crémant stands and everything. (Brilliant, because if you’re like me, after a glass or two of bubbly, I’m definitely in the mood to do some shopping!)
More info: Check out these articles in the Luxemburger Wort/English and in 352 LuxMag.

Bon weekend!

2 comments:

  1. Congrats on making your debut on the Lux radio - that's fantastic!
    It looks like we'll need to make a trip to Lux in the fall - Dragon puppets and beetroot carving plus pumpkin soup, yum!
    My only complaint about this roundup is that Love-Shack was not invited to the Paribas Luxembourg Open - don't they know how talented those ladies are?

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  2. Yes, come back! This weekend, there's even a haunted CASTLE - it doesn't get much more fun than that (and I need friends with kids so I can go)! I don't know what the Lux Open people were thinking...Love-Shack was the greatest tennis team to ever hit central Ohio in the early 90s, so we should definitely be part of a world tour now. Obviously... :)

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