Hello,
Are the events in Lyon and Strasbrourg (fetes des lumieres and marché de noël) still going on in december after the latest events?
[Please note that i am not asking whether France will be safe during December, no one knows where is safety lately.
Plus, we are not scared of anyone, these things have been happening in Lebanon for a while and we, the Lebanese people, grew stronger.
Stay strong dear Parisians! ]
Thanks!
Here's the website for the Fetes des Lumieres, looks like the normal stuff is canceled due to recent events but there will be a city-wide candle lighting. http://www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr/en
Here's a quote from a WSJ article about the status of Christmas markets in Europe. "Strasbourg on Friday decided to go ahead with its Christmas market but announced a series of measures to tighten security, including banning events for children, limiting parking in the city center and diverting of the tram line." And a link to the whole article: http://www.wsj.com/articles/paris-attacks-cast-shadow-over-europes-christmas-markets-1448104936
Fete des Lumieres in Lyon has been cancelled.
Strasbourg has said it is going to maintain its Christmas market.
I am currently in France and I'm headed to Strasbourg tomorrow for the opening night of their Christmas market season. I will admit that I'm about uneasy but I'm still going. There are quite a few events that have been cancelled, but it seems there are a lot of security precautions being taken. I will happily report more tomorrow after I arrive but here's the latest information we could find: http://noel.strasbourg.eu/actualites/-/asset_publisher/dQQ4/content/changements-du-programme-du-marche-de-noel-2015#.Vld_QV-kqnM
Traveling Lou -
We will be in Strasbourg next week so we will be very interested in your report.
Well, we are here and attended the opening night ceremony. The crowds aren't too large but the atmosphere is festive. There are heavily armed guards posted at every entrance to the city, and they mean business. Inside the various markets, there are wandering teams of 3 to 4 police officers each. They are constantly scanning the crowd. They don't say hi and don't smile, they are super serious. At one market there was an empty plastic bag on the ground and in 30 seconds a policeman was over investigating it. I feel super safe here. The locals are very happy to have foreigners visiting. In fact, I've been treated as warmly as I ever have by the French people. Many French families with their children at the markets as well as elderly locals walking around. I was so nervous but I feel well protected. It's unnerving but once I saw all the security (huge machine guns carried by army men in Kevlar vests), I felt better.
The only market that has been cancelled is the children's market. Also, police were checking and thoroughly searching every single car heading into the city before they closed it to traffic around 4 pm tonight. I also felt safe in the local cafes. Our hotel told us to carry our passports in case we were stopped at a checkpoint but we were never stopped. My hotel is attached to the Les Halles mall. There are armed guards right outside and security is searching every person coming in the mall (they are stationed at every entrance). Hope my report helps. Let me know if you have further questions.
Thanks for your report Lou. I hope you are able to continue enjoying your trip.
Thanks, Lou.
Thank you for the updates on travel to Lyon and Strasbourg. I had hoped to return to Lyon to attend the Fetes des Lumieres in 2015 however my schedule did not permit so I will be in Lyon for only the last 2 weeks of December instead. I would be interested to hear from anyone who is there (or has been recently) regarding other closings or changes throughout the city.
All,
We will be in Strasbourg late afternoon 24-Dec to 27-Dec and I see now that the markets are closing the evening of 24-Dec, and will not be open thereafter. Does anyone have any ideas of what we can do in Strasbourg 25-Dec and 26-Dec now that our primary activity is not available? We are a family of 5 (kids 10, 13, and 14) and they will be very disappointed, so it would be great if we could come up with other things to do. Thank you in advance!
@scmodesitt, Christmas markets almost anywhere usually close Dec 24. Here's a website that might give you some ideas of other things to do at Christmas in the Strasbourg area.
Until recently, the Christmas markets were to be open 12/25 from 2 to 6 pm in Strasbourg, and also have hours open through 12/31. Those posted open times were why we booked our excursion to Strasbourg from Paris those dates. We had planned on shopping and even eating at the markets. We understand with the heightened security things change. If anyone has any recommendations for not-too-pricey and family-friendly dining options that will be open 12/25, thank you in advance! An Alsatian poster on TripAdvisor let me know that as of the other day, the Colmar markets will still be open their planned hours, even 12/26, so we will likely do a day trip to there.
