Since its conception in 1961, the Bazar International de Luxembourg has provided over 10 million euros in financial assistance to charities located in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and worldwide.
The bazaars of the early 1960’s were cosy affairs where a few dozen volunteers would spend a Sunday afternoon raising money for one or two Luxembourg charities.
It was these early years that set the cornerstone of multicultural cooperation for a common humanitarian cause to benefit from the Bazaar’s proceeds. In 1967 the International Bazaar was legally established as an independent non-profit making organisation (Association sans but lucratif) in accordance with Luxembourg law.
What a difference 50 years makes. Today the Bazaar consists of over 65 stands representing 57 countries spread over two halls in LUXEXPO and runs for a full weekend.
It requires a Committee of nine full time volunteers working 12 months to coordinate the yearly event
.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. The number of dedicated and energetic volunteers required to set up and run the stands is in the hundreds.
The visitors are in the tens of thousands!
But the organizers of those first Bazaars would surely recognize the spirit that still characterises the Bazaar today; the lively conversations and transactions in a variety of languages for the handicrafts, home-made jams and cakes, books, and holiday decorations representing a variety of nations and cultures.
The growth and evolution of the International Bazaar over the intervening five decades is a remarkable tale. For a complete history of the Bazaar, click here.