Every August, Luxembourg’s Glacis comes alive for the Schueberfouer. For a few weeks, the city fills with lights, rides, food, music and, inevitably, familiar faces.
But the Schubi is about more than entertainment. For Luxembourg’s business community, it has become an important part of the corporate social calendar and a natural opportunity for team building in Luxembourg, bringing colleagues together outside the office.
Dating back to 1340, the Schueberfouer began as an annual market established by John the Blind, King of Bohemia and Count of Luxembourg. What started as a place for trade and commerce has evolved into Luxembourg’s largest annual funfair, while retaining its original purpose: bringing people together.
That sense of connection remains very much part of the Schubi today.
Why Companies Invest in Team Building
For companies, a team evening at the Schueberfouer is simple, accessible and informal. Colleagues can share a meal, enjoy a few drinks, try the rides and, perhaps most importantly, spend time together away from their usual working environment.
Strong teams are not built only through project meetings, performance reviews and online calls. They are also built through trust, familiarity and informal conversations – the moments that help colleagues see one another as people rather than job titles.
For employers, investing in time together outside the office can help strengthen relationships across departments, functions and seniority levels. It can help new joiners feel part of the business more quickly, improve communication and collaboration, recognise employees’ contribution, support employee engagement and wellbeing, and reinforce a positive company culture.
The most effective team building does not always need a formal agenda, workshop or structured activity. Often, the best results come from creating space for people to talk, laugh and share an experience without the usual pressures of the working day.
Team Building, Recruitment and Employee Retention
In a competitive recruitment market such as Luxembourg, company culture and employee experience play an increasingly important role in attracting and retaining talent.
Candidates are not only assessing a job description, salary package or career path. They are also considering the people, leadership style and working environment behind the role.
Team events such as the Schueberfouer can support an organisation’s wider talent strategy. They give employees opportunities to build stronger internal networks, feel recognised and develop a greater sense of belonging.
These experiences can contribute to employee engagement, employee retention and employer branding, all of which matter when organisations are hiring in Luxembourg’s small, international and highly competitive market.
For recruitment and executive search firms, the message is equally clear: the strongest employer brands are built from employees’ real experiences, not simply from careers page messaging.
When people feel connected to an organisation and to one another, they are more likely to speak positively about their employer, recommend it to others and refer talented people from their own networks.
In this way, a relaxed evening at the Schubi can have a lasting impact beyond the event itself. It can help strengthen the relationships that support collaboration, loyalty and future recruitment.
A Shared Luxembourg Experience
For Luxembourg’s international corporate world, where teams are often made up of people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds, these informal moments matter.
Relationships are not built solely in meeting rooms or over emails. They are built through conversations, shared experiences and getting to know the person behind the job title.
The Schueberfouer is also a uniquely Luxembourgish experience. It gives international employees an opportunity to take part in a longstanding local tradition and feel more connected to the country in which they live and work.
There is, of course, another reason the Schubi is so popular with the business community: you will almost certainly bump into someone you know.
A former colleague, a client, a candidate, a supplier, a business contact or someone you have not seen in years. In Luxembourg’s relatively small and highly connected professional community, the Schueberfouer has a habit of bringing everyone together.
In many ways, this reflects Luxembourg itself: an international business centre built around relationships, while retaining traditions that create a strong sense of community.
So, while the Schueberfouer may be known as a funfair, it is also one of Luxembourg’s original networking and team building events.
What the Schueberfouer Says About Luxembourg’s Corporate Culture
For businesses focused on recruitment, employee retention and employer branding in Luxembourg, informal shared experiences can play a meaningful role in building a workplace that talented people want to join and stay with.
The Schueberfouer perfectly captures an important aspect of Luxembourg’s corporate culture: business is often built on relationships, and relationships are strengthened when people have the opportunity to connect outside the formal working environment.
For companies planning a summer get-together, the formula can be refreshingly simple: good food, good company, a few hours away from the office and perhaps one or two brave volunteers for the rides.