The best things to do and see (or watch) in Europe this week

“Bye forever, spoiled summer,” Charli XCX tweeted this week, putting an end to all things hot, sexy and frivolous.

It may feel like summer is over, as the cold weather turns the green parks a shade of autumnal maroon. But that doesn’t mean you have to pack your belongings into an old bag.

There’s still plenty to smile about as the Venice Film Festival draws to a close, with plenty of films to get excited about, including Luca Guadagnino’s Queer . In Germany, there’s not one but two great festivals for pop fans, and a brilliant retrospective at a contemporary gallery in Geneva.

Exhibitions

MAMCO, from memory at MAMCO (Geneva, Switzerland)

MAMCO, the contemporary art museum in Geneva, Switzerland, will undergo a massive three-year renovation in 2025. Before the magnificent museum is taken out of service until 2028, MAMCO will host a massive exhibition featuring more than 6,000 pieces from the museum’s history, curated by the public.

First opened in Geneva in 1994, the museum plans to represent works from each of its eras, whether it’s the minimal and conceptual art it’s based on, the Neo-Geo artists of the 80s, Relational Aesthetics of the 90s, and digital work from the 00s onwards. Curators will read submissions from the public and adapt the exhibition to what people most want to see again. Did we mention it’s also free to celebrate the gallery’s 30th anniversary?

Parties

Germany is the place to be this weekend if you want to get into pop music. If you’re in Munich, head to Superbloom for a lineup including Calvin Harris, Sam Smith, OneRepublic, the Chainsmokers, and both Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson performing solo.

For those closer to the capital, Lollapalooza is coming to Berlin’s Olympiastadion with a lineup very similar to Superbloom’s on weekends 7-8. The only act missing from their already mentioned lineup is Calvin Harris, who will be replaced by Martin Garrix. If you live the same distance between the two cities, the choice is clear as to which mega famous DJ you’d prefer.

Movies

Euronews critics David Mouriquand and Amber Bryce have spent another week on the 81st Venice Film Festival to give us the inside scoop on the best films showing at the Lido. So far, our critics’ highlights include: Luca Guadagnino’s bold move tackle William S. Burroughs’ modern classic novel Foreignwhich we called one of the “most daring and distinctive films in this year’s competition.”

Other notable films that premiered include Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature, The room next doorstarring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. Female friendships and conversations about mortality take center stage in this bold film from the typically flamboyant Spanish filmmaker. Both The Brutalist And Baby girl have also been highlighted by our dynamic duo as films to watch.

On the other end of the spectrum is Todd Phillips’ sequel Joker: Two-Fold Film was a hit with the critics, as Joaquin Phoenix once again played an Oscar-winning role with the musical help of Lady Gaga and could not make the hearts of the critics beat faster.

Television

New to Netflix this week is the eight-part TV series “KAOS,” starring Jeff Goldblum as Zeus, king of the Greek gods. Charlie Covell’s (“The End of the F***ing World”) creative new take on the ancient Greek pantheon pits the gods alongside ordinary people in a modern-day Crete that’s been reimagined as a glossy Los Angeles equivalent.

Goldblum is having the time of his life chewing the scenery and playing himself, only this time the gravitas is justified by his literal god status. He surprisingly likes it and the whole thing ticks along with aplomb and fun as it plays with every Greek myth the script can throw at it. This is a fun show and will entertain any history and mythology buff, but our review noted that it lacked the kind of gripping script that would make this film one of the best films of the year.

Music Award Finalists

We can’t wait to see who’ll be smiling after Wednesday night’s MTV Video Music Awards. Two other major awards nomination lists were released this past week, making us excited for awards season as the cooler months of the year roll around.

International Opera Awards

The first were the finalists for the 2024 International Opera Awards. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 2, at the Prinzregententheater of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, after it won the Opera Company of the Year award in 2023. This year’s nominees for the main prize include the Komische Oper, the National Theatre Prague, the Opéra national du Rhin, the Opera Philadelphia, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège and the Wiener Staatsoper.

DJ Awards

At a completely different end of the musical spectrum, the nominees for the DJ Awards have been announced. When the awards show takes place at Club Chinois in Ibiza, also on October 2, it will be the first time in four years that the awards have been handed out. Categories include genres such as house, trance and afro. The top prize, International DJ Of The Year, sees Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Fisher, Martin Garrix, Peggy Gou and Swedish House Mafia as the frontrunners.