Sobriety, “child-sized” chalets, modified hours, etc. The town hall of Strasbourg unveiled, on Saturday, the recommendations of the citizen jury on the Christmas Market which it has adopted in order to reconcile “reappropriation” of the event by the inhabitants and tourist attraction.
These recommendations are “clearly the support of our future discussions with all the partners”, in particular for the organization of the 2023 edition, greeted the ecologist mayor, Jeanne Barseghian. “There was a lot of criticism in recent years that came from the local population”, who felt “dispossessed” of the Christmas Market, said the elected to journalists.
“Choral singing” and “live performance”
In total, of the 32 recommendations, 30 were retained. Some will be implemented this year, others no later than 2025, said Jeanne Barseghian. Among the measures adopted: the “limitation” then the “removal of sound and amplified music” in favor of “choral singing” and “live performance”; the enhancement of local crafts and terroirs; the introduction of a sorting system for plastic bottles and cans or even the use by exhibitors of more energy-efficient devices.
On the other hand, requests to promote “originality in the decoration” of the chalets and to “facilitate travel by car” for the inhabitants of the hypercentre, where the market is located, have been rejected. A “work on the rules of procedure which will govern in particular the typology of the products” will also be launched, while the leak of a list of products prohibited or sold “subject to” had sparked controversy last year.
In 2022, the 452nd edition of the Strasbourg Christmas Market saw “record” attendance, with around 2.8 million visitors.