Winter Time in Leuven


It's winter time in Leuven and the city is doing its best to make it a magical time.  There are multiple events all grouped linked to this theme between Dec 7th and Jan 6th. You can find an overview here

Wintertuin
At the Grote Markt, there is a  Winter Garden in front of the lighted up city hall for the 2nd year in a row. In comparison to previous year it feels less than a garden but the advantage is that the lack of small trails makes the square more accessible for all people  including strollers and wheel chairs.

There is a Christmas nativity scene with live sheep to visit, a little fairytale inn where you can visit a short 3D projection animation etc. from the Little Chef.



Ladeuze on ice
On the Ladeuze square is Ladeuze on ice for the first time until Monday Dec 25th. A skating rink and a snow sledging slope fill a big part of the square but it is the gorgeous ferris wheel in front of the university library that makes it a magical place to visit.




De Kerstmarkt
The Christmas market takes place until Dec 20th and has relocated for one year to the city park due to the renovations at the Herbert Hoover square.  Part of the market is still at the bottom of the Ladeuze square as always but the majority has moved to the park.  The big alley is nicely decorated and holds most of the stands. However there are also stands deeper in the park. I have the feeling that there is more space to walk around and that passage is smoother than other years.
There is only one big advantage this year: the city park is unpaved and given the current rain/snow weather, it creates very wet and muddy trails with puddles.   I've seen some people on white sneakers that will regret their visit to the Christmas market.   I had read about the state of the trails on FB discussion groups beforehand and we had dressed the children in small boots. Of course, that triggered them to jump the puddles, so I could throw their pants full of mud marks in the laundry when we got home :).

There was an Dutch orchestra (including funny Christmas hats) playing in the park's kiosk bringing us all in the right mood and motivating several people to dance. On Sunday there were also some wooden-like street animation running around, clearly inspired by the tree sculpture in the city park.














For more activities in Winter time Leuven, you can check the city's website

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