The two new luminescent coordination polymers HgCl2(C31H24N2)·CH2Cl2 (1) and HgBr2(C31H24N2)·CH2Cl2 (2) feature helical zigzag chains intertwined in bundles of three. The luminescent properties of the isostructural compounds are due to the fluorene-based ligand 9,9-bis-ethyl-2,7-di-(4-pyridyl)ethynylfluorene and are red-shifted relative to those of the free ligand.