Behind the Scenes
Once again this year, Strasbourg Capital of Christmas will bring a sparkle to the hearts and eyes of visitors. Behind the magic of the Christmas Market, hundreds of little hands are at work to make each edition a marvellous event. Here's a look at the work of the city's officials.
The Strasbourg Christmas Capital Factory
Events and Community Life Department
The "Strasbourg Christmas Capital" unit in the Events department is fully dedicated to the overall coordination of this extraordinary event: liaising with other departments in the local authority, monitoring the legal, administrative and strategic aspects of the project, managing the chalets and liaising with the exhibitors, etc. It is THE heart of Strasbourg Christmas Capital.
Key figures:
- 314 outdoor installations on 12 sites in the Grande-Île area
- Around 300 exhibitors (excluding Marché OFF and Village du Partage)
- Around 90 associations take turns in 14 chalets for the Village du Partage, including 2 CCAS staff.
- A team of 4 full-time agents all year round and a technical director to support the last 4 months of the year,
- Some thirty local authority departments (Communication, Security, Cleaning, Collection, Green Spaces, Illuminations, Territorial Management, Legal Affairs, Public Domain, etc.) are mobilised on the subject.
SCN's communications workshop
Communication Department
The External Communications Department has been working hard to spread the magic of Strasbourg as Christmas Capital, from producing the guide to signage, promotional materials and the website. Its work is essential to making the event visible and understandable, so that everyone can enjoy a successful experience.
Key figures:
- 1 person dedicated to developing and implementing the communication plan
- 2 elves to back up the project for 4 months
- 1 webmaster from the multimedia department working on the website
- More than 60 different communication media (guide, map, signage, press inserts, social networks, website, etc.)
The light factory
In association with the Vitrines de Strasbourg, a number of staff from the Voies Publiques department are getting down to work to adorn the city with its most beautiful illuminations and bring an air of magic to the air once night falls. This year, they include :
- Over 250 streets, squares and squares illuminated
- Around 700 sites illuminated: schools, local town halls, churches, building forecourts, etc.
- Around 25km of garlands on trees and fir trees
Safety:
To ensure that all the children, young and old, who have come to enjoy the magic of Christmas can get together in a friendly atmosphere, the municipal police are mobilised before and throughout Strasbourg's Christmas Capital with :
- A team of motorcyclists from the municipal police force providing security for the convoy bringing back the Grand Sapin on its arrival in Strasbourg.
- 3 officers cordoning off the safety perimeter during the tree-lifting operation
- 40 municipal police officers on duty 24 hours a day for the duration of the Christmas Market (4 weeks)
- Foot patrols during Christmas Market opening hours
Maintenance:
- 568 hours of work and over 70 employees, 60 of whom work nights from 8.30 p.m. to 3.30 a.m. and every Sunday, as well as 12 dedicated to the Market from 11.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
- 4 employees to set up special sorting equipment in the run-up to the opening of the Christmas Market
- 200 hours and 20 drivers dedicated to bin collection
The inhabitants' workshop
Every year, the Market seeks to reconnect a little more with its inhabitants. This objective cannot be achieved without the work of :
- 7 employees working on the Christmas in the Neighbourhoods project, at a rate of 30 to 50 hours per employee
- 50 citizens involved in the Citizens' Jury for almost 80 hours of voluntary work
The Alsatian Museum
Strasbourg's Christmas Capital can also be seen in the aisles of the Musée Alsacien, which is offering a special programme for this event, for which it is one of the best ambassadors, with :
- 13kg of Bredle for the children who came to the museum with their class during Advent
- 25 employees and artists mobilised for the Musée Alsacien's Christmas party on 9 December
- 0 children taken away by the Hàns Tràpp in his bag out of the 620 children welcomed for the "Christmas tales and traditions" event
The Advent Village
The Village de l'Avent is dedicated to bringing families together around workshops and shows, including :
- 70 creative workshops for children and the public
- 68 Christmas shows, including storytelling, concerts and readings
- 113 Strasbourg schools invited to take part in a workshop to build child-sized chalets to play in, supervised by 2 activity leaders.
- 56 after-school teams asked to help decorate the Christmas trees in Square Louise Weiss
- 15 temporary reception staff recruited to welcome visitors.