Fouerfësch in the restaurant: why the 2025 price shocks many

It’s a Saturday, shortly after 14:00. I’m sitting in one of the 42 gondolas of the Bruch family’s 55-metre-high Belle Vue Ferris wheel, looking down on the Schueberfouer. Between you and me: I’m afraid of heights – but what won’t you do for a great photo? And I’m not a big fan of fairgrounds either.

The latter wasn’t always the case. As a youngster, the fields on the Glacis were the place to socialise and meet people. The beer at the Grénge Spill at the main entrance, the meeting place for young people back then, was hardly more expensive than in the café.

I met some of the people I still know today for the first time at the Schueberfouer, which this year is celebrating its 683rd edition. So how has the Schueberfouer changed during this time? And above all: how have the prices changed?

The question seems topical: shortly before embarking on the ride on the Ferris wheel, I witnessed three children complaining as their mother engages in a discussion with the cashier.

“Yes, I know, but I don’t have enough money for all of them,” she says. The cashier seems stern at first, then a little resigned. A short time later, I see all three children and their mum sitting in the ride, after she has thanked the cashier profusely. The latter looks as if she wants to put the “incident” behind her as quickly as possible.

Friends Michèle (left) and Saskia (right), with their two children Mila and Mia, are amazed at the prices at this year’s Schueberfouer. Lunch and drinks alone cost them around €100. © Photo credit: Alain Piron

But on this day, when I spend almost three hours at the country’s largest funfair, I witness an almost identical scene at another ride.

This time the vendor, a young man, remains stubborn and refuses entry to a woman with two children. Although I understand his stance, as he is also just an employee and his business also has to make ends meet, I don’t like his tone of voice to the customer.

Comparing 2025 to previous years

Nevertheless, the question arises: has the Schueberfouer become an unaffordable pleasure for some? Are prices rising from year to year?

Also read:Schueberfouer carnies happy with turnout despite prices, weather

What you can get for €50 at the Schueberfouer in 2025

Tastes differ, so it’s up to everyone to decide for themselves what they want to eat and drink or which rides they want to visit. Nevertheless, here is one of many possible suggestions:

A portion of gromperekichelcher (Chalet au Gourmet): €7

An ice-cream cake: waffle with strawberries and whipped cream (Jean la Gaufre): €7.50

A beer (Beim Kessel): €6.50 **

Total for food and drink: €21

Total: €50

For the purpose of this article, I compared prices this year with the costs on two previous visits carried out by my colleagues. Back in 2013, colleagues from what is today the Luxembourg Times had €20 to spend an afternoon at the festival, while last year, another Luxemburger Wort colleague was given €100.

Also read:Family day out at the Schueberfouer on €100

A ride on the Breakdance cost €3.50 back in 2013. If you take into account the inflation rate*, that should equate to €4.48 in 2025.

However, the display at the ticket office shows €5, so a good 50 cents more expensive than over a decade ago even when adjusted for inflation.

There may well be a number of reasons for the increase, as the operator also has to pass on other costs to customers, such as frequent maintenance work or fees and charges that may not have existed more than ten years ago.

Food costs

In 2013, colleagues spent €5 on a gyros sandwich and €2.50 for a beer. The cheeseburger cost €4 back then, but the mettwurst would have been cheaper, the article from back then notes.

Last year, my colleague spent €3.50 on a Coke and €10 on a roll with fried fish. A fouerfësch (fried fish) in a restaurant at the fair would have cost around €20, with a further €4.50 for a 250ml wheat beer.

Of course, it is difficult to compare pricing for food and drink, as the brands and/or quality can be different depending on the item.

But a glance at the menus shows that the kiermesfësch (fried fish) at Restaurant Kessel costs €31.50 this year – with an additional €3.50 for salad or fries in each case – and at Schla’Winer it costs €30.50, rising to €37.50 with fries and salad.

There has been a remarkable surge in prices for the fish over the past year, as when adjusted for inflation, the €20 cost of the fouerfësch last year should cost about €20.50 in 2025.

The Eisekuch mat Klappschmant (waffles) are now significantly smaller than they used to be, says this visitor. © Photo credit: Alain Piron

Depending on the stall, a takeaway cheeseburger ranges in cost from €7 (Chalet au Gourmet) to €8.50 (Beim Hollänner) or even €12 (King Kong).

Here, too, the products served are not necessarily identical in size and quality. Taking inflation into account, it should be noted that the €4 that the cheeseburger cost in 2013 should cost around €5.12 today.

The price of fried fish in a bun, on the other hand, has remained unchanged compared to the previous year at €10, so strictly speaking, adjusted for inflation, this product is actually around 25 cents cheaper than in 2024.

And for dessert? Paangecher, or crêpes, cost €2.50 with sugar and €3.50 with Grand Marnier back in 2013, which should equate to €3.20 and €4.50 respectively when adjusted for inflation.

There is a surprise when I discover that Jean La Gaufre now charges just €3 for crêpes with sugar. However, the one with Grand Marnier is now priced at €6.

Last year, the journalist paid €4 for a candy floss and €12 for a small bag of almonds. These prices can also be found at some retailers this year, although there may be price differences depending on the stand. I paid €15 for 300 grams of nougat.

Surprise when the bill arrived

Talking to some of the visitors, it is clear that the prices – especially for food – came as a shock for people, particularly families.

Michèle and Saskia, here with their two children Mila and Mia, were not prepared for the prices in the restaurant this year and were surprised at the final bill.

They claim to have paid a total of €100 for two portions of moullen (mussels) and two children’s portions of kniddelen, including drinks. “That doesn’t even include the rides for the children,” they say.

As for the waffles, which have supposedly remained the same price, one visitor complains that they are “also significantly smaller than last year”, a claim that is difficult to verify.

Has the operator bought new, smaller waffle makers? Some of the visitors we spoke to said that they now eat at home and only come for the rides with their children. Some parents even brought an old pram filled with drinks and picnic items from home, a phenomenon that I had never noticed before at the Schueberfouer.

Cheaper prices during family days

For the first time, there will be two family days at the Schueberfouer this year, with the first taking place on Wednesday 27 August, from 12 noon, when there will be cheaper prices on the participating rides.

The second will be held on Wednesday 3 September, when there will be a Gourmet Family Day with special offers at participating restaurants and sweet and food stalls.

At the beginning I mentioned the ride on the Ferris wheel. This cost €16 in total for the photographer and me – so €8 per person for a ten-minute ride.

This was exactly the same price for the same length of ride as last year, and adjusted for inflation, equates to a price reduction of 20 cents.

The price also remained unchanged from last year for 12 shots at the shooting range at €6 – or at least they would have if I had taken the shots and hadn’t just posed for the photo.

In conclusion: as far as the rides are concerned, the price increase compared to the previous year, if any, is limited overall. However, for food and drink in particular, prices appear to have risen sharply in some cases from a year ago.

** The inflation calculations were based on the values 968.04 (valid from 1 May 2025), 944.43 (valid from 1 September 2023) and 756.27 (valid from 1 October 2012)

(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated, with editing and adaptation by John Monaghan.)