About HISTOFEST

Curtain up for HISTOFEST, the history festival of the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH)!

The 2025 pilot edition of HISTOFEST wishes to lay the groundwork for a recurring annual event that combines networking, promotion, and infotainment. Join us for an afternoon full of ideas, discovery and insights at the Belval Plaza shopping centre in Esch-sur-Alzette.

Why a history festival?

The idea of the festival was born from the desire to explore new ways of engaging with local communities, present our work to broader audiences and actively promote the values we stand for when we do (public) history.

The initiative aims to strengthen dialogue with actors beyond academia, widen collaboration with cultural and other institutions in and beyond Luxembourg, as well as to promote the Centre’s mission and projects.

Inspired by similar events in France, Italy and Ireland, the pilot edition of HISTOFEST wishes to lay the groundwork for a recurring annual event that combines networking, promotion, and infotainment.

History on full blast: more than a slogan

The diverse formats at the festival—hands-on activities, presentations, workshops, film screenings, and music—all have history as a common denominator. We call this history at full power, i.e. on full blast without losing sight of the local dimension symbolized by the blast furnace on campus.

Our long-term ambition is to establish HISTOFEST as a flagship event of the University of Luxembourg—a young, dynamic institution committed to societal impact and knowledge transfer—and a valuable addition to the country’s cultural landscape.