Amsterdam Light Festival, the world’s most popular LEGO® exhibition and Wim Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’ – here’s what’s cool in Europe right now.
December is finally here, but before you start panicking about buying Christmas presents or debating whether to watch Muppet Christmas Carol or Home Alone first, check out these exhibitions, films, festivals, TV shows (and more) first.
Exhibitions
The Art of the Brick, Paris, France
Bricking it about having no December plans? Plan a trip to the world’s most popular LEGO® art exhibition in Paris, which includes some of the most incredible LEGO® creations in the world. From a 6 meter long T-Rex, to a north rose window of Chartres Cathedral, Roman temples and even a gallery of human organs – there are more than 100 sculptures to stare slack-jawed at. We’re a little bit earlier than usual with this suggestion, but good to get your tickets early! It opens 15 December at Les Galeries Montparnasse, 22 Rue du Départ.
Leonardo Da Vinci – La Prima Monna Lisa, Turin, Italy
The so-called “Isleworth Mona Lisa” has caused quite a stir in recent headlines, with experts divided over whether the painting is a superior Leonardo da Vinci original or an inferior copy. It got its name after being bought in 1913 by art dealer Hugh Blaker, who was based in Isleworth, west London, before being sold in 1947 to American collector Henry Pulitzer, who devoted much of his life trying to prove it was a da Vinci work. Now you can decide for yourself, with the Swiss-based Mona Lisa Foundation exhibiting the work in Turin’s Promotrice delle Belle Arti gallery until 26 May 2024.
John Bock: Ex-Ego-Gynt, Berlin, Germany
Catch the works of German absurdist artist John Bock while you can at Sprüth Magers Gallery, where his latest films, new sculptures and installations are on display until 22 December. It’s a sensory overload of theatrical, mind-bending works that will shake-up your senses.
‘Elliott Erwitt: A Retrospective’, Lyon, France
Following the sad news that French-American photographer Elliott Erwitt has passed away, there was never a better time to pay tribute with a visit to a retrospective of his works at La Sucrière, Lyon; open until 17 March 2024.
Nocturne N°2 Mark Rothko at The Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France
If you’ve still not seen Mark Rothko’s exhibition at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, there’s a special nighttime event on 1 December, where visitors can enjoy the artist’s retrospective to musical accompaniment, creating a more unique and festive ambience.
Festivals
Amsterdam Light Festival 2023, The Netherlands
From 30 November, the canals of Amsterdam are illuminated by a magical light show display, waters rippled with reflections from glowing sculptures created by artists from around the world. The theme of this year’s festival is artificial intelligence (AI) and creations reflecting the effects of such technology on our everyday lives.
Tallinn Christmas Market, Estonia
Pop on your warmest hat and grab yourself a mulled wine because it’s officially Christmas market season. One of the oldest in Europe is the Talinn Christmas Market, which also happened to have the very first Christmas tree display in the world, dating back to 1441.
Filled with fairground rides and stalls selling sparkly ornaments and festive foods, it’s like wandering around a fairytale world for a while and impossible not to feel overcome with Christmas spirit afterwards, ho ho ho.
Films
Perfect Days
Wim Wenders is back with a wonderfully reflective film set in Tokyo, Japan. Perfect Days, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, tells the story of aging toilet cleaner, Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho), who’s quite happy living out his rhythmic routines, finding beauty in the meditative humdrum of daily hobbies and to-dos until a series of unexpected encounters open up his past. It will remind you to notice and appreciate the small things more. Read our exclusive interview with Wenders and check out our Film of the Week review right here.
Wish
If anyone’s wishing upon a star right now, it’s Disney. On 30 November it was announced that Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger would step down for the second time in 2026 following a year of fantastical flops. The usually reliable Marvel Cinematic Universe had its worst opening weekend in history thanks to The Marvels , while Disney’s latest, Wish, also had one of the worst opening weekends ever for an animated movie (We’re probably not selling it very well here.)
Intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the House of Mouse, Wish‘s storyline is built upon the classic Disney tropes of dreams and magic, with teenager Asha (Ariana DeBose did the thing) trying to save the Kingdom of Rosas from an evil King by wishing on a star.
Fallen Leaves
Offbeat rom-com Fallen Leaves is out now at UK and Irish cinemas, directed by Finnish master of droll Aki Kaurismäki and winner of the third-place Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival. It follows two lonely blue-collar strangers who cross eyes in a Helsinki karaoke bar, their lives later entwining again through happenstance. Gloomy yet soul-soothing, it is “our reminder that surrendering to chance encounters and embracing love without having one foot out of the door is the only sane thing to do when world around you crumbles,” writes Euronews film critic David Mouriquand in his review.
Love Actually
Failing all of the above, you could always just watch Love Actually, which turns 20 this year. Love it or hate it, we can surely all agree that writing “To me, you are perfect” on white board paper for your best friend’s wife is creepy and cringe as hell. Two of our journalists had thoughts …
TV
Slow Horses
Gary Oldman returns as Jackson Lamb, a scruffy but sharp-tongued spy leading a group of MI5 rejects in the third season of ‘Slow Horses’ on Apple TV+. Based on Mick Herron’s ‘Slough House’ novels, we’re this time dealing with a romantic liaison that threatens to expose an MI5 secret.
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial
Also out on Apple TV+, from 6 December, isthis new three-part docuseries that reopens the case of John Lennon’s tragic murder by Mark Chapman on 8 December 1980. Narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, it examines why it happened alongside the aftermath.
Music
Apple Music and Spotify released their top 2023 global tracks this week, both of which were dominated by the likes of Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and Drake.
While of course not truly representative of everyone’s musical tastes (shout-out to the vinyl-lovers), it does give a strong overview of what’s most popular right now, and might even inspire you to listen to something you haven’t yet heard.
