The traditional Strasbourg Christmas market opened its doors this Wednesday, November 27. An opening, unprecedented because in the middle of the week, which did not prevent visitors from flocking there by the hundreds.
Mulled wine, bredele and Santa Claus. In Strasbourg, the legendary Christmas market opened its doors this Wednesday, November 27 in a unique edition in more than one way.
First, because the market opened in the middle of the week and not on a weekend as usual, due to the organization last Saturday of the festivities surrounding the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of the city.
The cathedral square was completely reorganized in 96 hours, a feat for the town hall of the Christmas Capital. “A technical feat to set up this square in three days,” even confides Guillaume Libsig, deputy mayor in charge of the festivities, who is satisfied with “a great turnout” on this first day of the market.
A tree that sparks debate
Enthroned in the center of Place Kleber, the large tree was officially lit up for the first time of the year at the end of the day. This tree, and in particular its decoration, attracted criticism from certain Internet users this year. Dressed in book pages, the tree pays homage to the title of World Book Capital 2024 which Strasbourg has inherited.
However, this Wednesday evening, the visitors interviewed were much more complimentary, far from the rolls of toilet paper imagined by some.
“I don't find it so ambiguous, we can see that it's leaves even if it would have been more telling to put books. We understand that it refers to books”, assures one of them on our antenna.
Jacques Witkowski, prefect of Bas-Rhin, assured our antenna of the “great seriousness” of his services regarding the security issues surrounding the event.
Six years after the attack on the Strasbourg Christmas market, on December 11, 2018, the memory remains palpable and the senior official assures him, the devices have been prepared “for months”.
“Prioritize Made in Europe”
Concerning the products sold on the Christmas market, Guillaume Libsig affirms that if all the products cannot be entirely produced in France, the environmentalist municipality “tries to favor made in Europe”.
Moreover, for the first time this year a rating system out of 100 will be assigned to all 300 chalets at the start of 2025 to assess their eco-responsibility, authenticity and even the presentation of their products.
Until the end of the event, the chalets will be open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the exception of December 24 and 25, when the market will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
