Sketching at the Schueberfouer

Every year, starting around mid-August, the Luxembourg city funfair called "Schueberfouer", a mixture of market and funfair, takes place for three whole weeks.

It is one of the oldest and most beloved Luxembourg traditions for young and old, so it was inevitable that I would go sketch it at some point, on my own and with Urban Sketchers Luxembourg.

 

The Schueberfouer was founded in 1340 by John the Blind, King of Bohemia and Count of Luxembourg. It was initially a huge market where people from all around the Greater Region came to sell their products, ranging from agricultural products and livestock to cloth, pottery and other household products.

Over the centuries shows and games started to become part of the fair, and the Ferris wheel and rollercoaster became permanent fixtures in the 20th century, later joined by more and more sophisticated attractions, some of them not meant for the faint of heart.

Today the market part is limited to one alley of small retailer's booths and the showmen with their attractions come from all around Europe: Luxembourg, France, Belgium, Germany and even the Netherlands and Switzerland.

People from all over the Greater Region come to enjoy the thrills of the different attractions and savour the typical Gromperekichelcher (potato patties), gebakene Fësch (fried fish, usually trout) and other delicious treats you can find in the numerous food trucks and restaurants.

 

The beginning of the Schueberfouer always feels bittersweet to me, as it brings loads of fun but also announces the end of the summer holidays.

On Sunday, we went there with Leen and Maria Grazia for the monthly USk sketchcrawl. I focused on the Ferris wheel, which I find immensely photogenic. The owners of the attraction came regularly to see how our sketches were progressing.

I am pleased to say that they loved them and even asked if they could buy my sketch. I told them that unfortunately, as it was part of my sketchbook, it was not possible, but I later sent them a scanned image.

 

One ride on the carousel and a drink later, I was ready to call it a day and to say goodbye to the Schueberfouer for this year and mentally prepare for the arrival of autumn.