Luxembourg’s second city has been hosting its annual culture night in mid-September for the past three years and even the coronavirus pandemic this year couldn’t stop the organisers from hosting an albeit slimmed down event.

“In 2022 it won’t be one night but five ‘Nuits de la Culture’ will be offered between March and September and take place in five different locations,” said Loïc Clairet, who coordinates the culture nights, at a press conference on Thursday.

The five nights will receive a €4m budget with the first four dates seen as a run-up to the grand finale in September, said Pierre-Marc Knaff, alderman for culture on the Esch-sur-Alzette city council.

The aim will be to involve local and international partners in putting on a programme of events. First meetings to discuss ideas with local residents are planned for later this month.

Reflecting the region’s industrial steel heritage, organisers have already teamed up with French company “La Machine” for pyrotechnics displays at the former Schifflange steel site, which will be coordinated with regional groups.

The Esch2022 team had previously launched a call for projects to be featured as part of the broader line-up, with more than 140 initiatives selected. Artists whose ideas weren’t picked up for the programme will be able to reapply to have them be part of the “Nuits de la Culture” line-up, said Nancy Braun of the organising team.

This article was originally published in French on Paperjam.lu and has been translated and edited for Delano.