On Monday 31st August 2015, the “Staater Braderie” (in English: “Clearance Sale in Luxembourg City”) is taking place.
A Braderie simply is a street sale that is taking place on a pre-defined day, normally during or at the end of the Sales. The shop owners will set up their stalls outside the shops and sell their goods for lower prices (“bradéiert Präisser”). In general a Braderie involves, live music and other performances by local associations to create the feeling of a Folk Festival.
The word “Braderie” has its origins in the French province of Flanders and derives from the word “braaden” (“broden” in Lux or “roasting”, “barbequing” in English). This is because at all of these street sales, people were usually having a barbeque with Thüringer, Kottletten (chops) and Mettwurscht.
The first Braderie took place in Lille and gradually moved over to Reims, Nancy and finally to Luxembourg in 1929. The shop owners in Luxembourg did not like the idea at the beginning, to sell articles for knock-down prices, but Gaston Diderich, the mayor of the City of Luxembourg at the time, managed to convince them about the advantages that such a sales day would have for them. The first ever Braderie in Luxembourg took place on the 2nd September 1929 in the context of the Schueberfouer, and this has never been changed since.
So if you want to grab a bargain and you don’t mind the crowd, dive into the Braderie on Monday 31st August, shops are usually open at 8:00 that day and remain open until around 18:00.
Have fun “beim bradelen”!!!