Locals observe a traditional "Buergbrennen" event in Niederanven on Sunday 22 February 2026;
Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu
Luxembourg's traditional "Buergbrennen" festival took place across the country over the weekend, with local events held on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 February 2026.
Traditionally celebrated on the first Sunday after Carnival - though often spread over two days in recent years - Buergbrennen brings neighbourhoods together to symbolically burn away winter and welcome the arrival of spring.
This year's celebration fell earlier than in 2025. While many places stick to tradition and celebrate on Sunday, several other communities hold their celebrations on Saturday, either to allow children to participate more easily or to help stagger events across the weekend.
Across the country, local clubs and associations built large wooden structures for the occasion. In many towns and villages, participants constructed traditional crosses, while others opted for more elaborate designs. In Niederanven, for example, organisers marked the event's tenth anniversary with an impressive castle-shaped structure.
Recent rainy weather made it more challenging for some bonfires to properly catch and spread - and there was a lot of mud. Attendance appeared lower in some locations compared to previous years, likely due to the conditions.
In line with tradition, on Ash Wednesday (18 February this year), crowds gathered in Remich in the Moselle region to mark the end of the Carnival ("Fuesend") season by setting fire to a straw man ("Stréimännchen" - or "Stréifrächen" / straw woman on leap years) and dropping it into the Moselle River to burn and float away. This event traditionally takes place a few days before the Buergbrennen bonfires signal the end of winter.
JCA
