THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 16 DECEMBER - 22 DECEMBER

It seems like we'll be having another snow-less warm Christmas this year. So no excuses for sitting around at home, while the sun is shining. Here is our special list of things to see & do this week in Munich!

Monday, 16 December:
IMPROV-THEATRE: BAKE THIS - Munich's first improvisation theatre in English is performing at Hot Shot, where you can have a huge steak or a huge burger and enjoy their show last show for this year. Starts at 8pm.

Tuesday, 17 December:
EXPLORE THE STARS: The Volkssternwarte is offering tours called "Münchner Sternstunden". Have a look at the observatory and watch the starts over Munich through a telescope, lay back at the planetarium and learn everything about the solar system and its planets. Starts at 8pm, tickets 5€/3€.

Wednesday, 18 December:
ARTS & TALK: Lothringer13 Shop hosts a series of art workshops / talks / events called Munich/Blackness. This week Jay Rutledge will be taking over the stage, a journalist with a focus on Africa. Starts at 7pm. Free, just turn up.

Thursday, 19 December:
MUSIC: 8 Musicians from Munich, Heidelberg and Paris play Gipsy Jazz in Kunstbar und Lesesaal Provisorium. Join for a relaxed evening of improvisation and drinks. Starts at 7pm.

Friday, 20 December:
CREATIVE NETWORKING: It's this time of the month! Another inspiring session of Creative Mornings is coming up, and this month's topic is "Make" with an artist duo Leo and Bjørn who will be giving insights into their creative practice. It's free, but register now to ensure a seat! From 8.30am until 10am.

Saturday, 21 December:
SOFT CIRCUIT WORKSHOP: If you still need some unique hand-made Christmas presents or just want to stay away from the crowds in huge shops and get crafty in good company, this is your chance! Come to Anna's soft circuit workshop at the FabLab and make a glowing Christmas card, a Christmas tree toy or a winter monster. For adults, from 1.30pm until 4.30pm, costs 30€ + 7.50€ (materials). Register by sending an e-mail to anmeldung@fablab-muenchen.de

Sunday, 22 December:
ADVENT IN WERKBOX3: It's the fourth advent and Werkbox3 will be opening its doors for a weekend of screen-printing and ink drawing workshops, a fashion show and a flea market. And it's all free.

Have a lovely week everyone!

THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 11 DECEMBER - 15 DECEMBER

Wednesday, 11 December: 
THERE AND BACK AGAIN: The second part of the Hobbit is out! If you can't get enough of the Middle-Earth, head to the Cinema for the 3D double feature in English: The Hobbit. Part I: An Unexpected Journey and Part II: The Desolation of Smaug. Starts at 8.15pm, tickets 19.90€.

Thursday, 12 December:
OPEN SCENE: Film Museum is participating in a film project called FOOTSTEPS IN JERUSALEM – A TRIBUTE TO DAVID PERLOV. They will be showing Perlov's famous documentary "In Jerusalem" (1967), as well as two contemporary documentaries inspired by Perlov's poetic representation of the city. Duration of the triptych: 90 min, starts at 7pm, tickets 4€. St.-Jakobs-Platz 1.

REPAIR CAFE: Come and get your bike ready for the winter at the WinterFit Bike Kitchen. There will be all the necessary tools, bike experts to consult you and alcoholic drinks to encourage you. From 7pm until 9pm, at Machwerk, Schulstr. 1.

Friday, 13 December:
MEETING PEOPLE: Every Friday there is a Grand English Speaking International Stammtisch G.E.I.S.T, where you can meet people interested in an active life in Munich: plan trips or walks together, attend events of all kinds, speak various languages, etc. From 8pm until 11pm, Rechthaler Hof Restaurant, Arnulfstr. 10.

Saturday, 14 December:
CREATIVE XMAS PRESENTS: Stijl Design Markt: A Christmas design market with beats and drinks. More than 100 local designers will be selling jewelry, fashion clothes, furniture, paperwork, etc. - a perfect place for a Christmas-present hunt. Tickets 6€/4€, from Saturday noon until Sunday 6pm, at Alte Zündapphalle, Grafingerstr. 6, Kultfabrik am Ostbahnhof.

Sunday, 15 December:
DIY ART FESTIVAL: A wild mix of DIY culture: Kafe Kult is organising the 9th non-profit Kafe Kunst Fest with installations, performances, live-bands, craft market with peculiar items and vegan food. See the huge list of participating artists here. Anna will be taking part with her wearable tech stuff as well, showing her new project and offering a XMas card/ XMas monster workshop. Come along for a lot of fun!


picture by Gareth Foote

THINGS TO DO IN MÜ THIS WEEKEND: 7 - 8 DECEMBER

After spending two past pre-Christmases in London, we are totally in the mood to embrace all the Christmas kitsch Munich has to offer! It is definitely not the same without all those advents, authentic Christmas markets and the best lebkuchen in the world! Anna is even so desperate, that she is probably going to bake plätzchen for the first time in her life...

Here are some exciting things for the weekend, to fill your gaps between drinking glühwein and swallowing sweets:

Saturday, 7 December:

AUGMENTED REALITY: Augmented Reality Show with Markus Layman, a mix of new technologies and magic tricks. We're particularly intrigued by the promise to combine this show with a critical discourse on technology and society. Shows are on Saturday and Sunday, tickets 18€/15€, starts at 8pm.

ARTS & ACADEMIC RESEARCH: If you are into artistic research and combination of practice and academic theory, you might want to pop in the LaborARTtorium, a weekend of lectures, performances and installations organised by LMU's PhD program ProArt. Starts at 9.30am on Friday and Saturday. See the full program here.

Sunday, 8 December:
BRUNCH & MAKE: An open studio space / cafe / shop HUIJ offers a special second advent brunch. Go for the classical version with apples, or try something new: a vegan strudel with red cabbage and pear or a veggie strudel. 11.30am - 15.30pm.

VINYL FLEA-MARKET: All you second-hand vinyl lovers like us! There will be a flee-market at the bar Favorit, Damenstiftstr 12. The entry is free, and if you want to sell some of your old treasures, it is also free. Starts at 7.30pm. 

XMAS & HOT DRINKS: Have a cup of the comforting hot liquid from the biggest Feuerzangenbowle (hot punch with rum, red wine and sugar) in the world (9.000 l.!!), which will be installed at Isartor. To keep your eyes busy, the organisers will be showing the German Christmas classics "Die Feuerzangenbowle" from 1944. Starts at 11am every day, from 6 Dec until 6 Jan, just turn up.
 

THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 2 DECEMBER - 6 DECEMBER

Winter has arrived. The roofs and trees are covered with snow, small crowds are shivering at the bus stops as they watch the crazy cyclists go by on snow-covered bicycle lanes. Perfect time for spending the evenings at home on the sofa with a nice cuppa and your telly. We really don't blame you if that's how you feel, for we feel the same. So this is just a small reminder of what you'd be missing out on this week!

Monday, 2 December:
SAUDADE: Get into winter mood with Portugal's Queen of Fado. The wonderful Mariza and her Band will bring sad but beautiful Portuguese songs from the streets of Lisbon to the philharmonic hall at Gasteig (8pm, tickets from 34EUR)

Tuesday, 3 December:
ARTS EXHIBITIONS: From time to time, checking out the arts exhibitions beyond the walls of Munich's established museums can be really rewarding. We suggest to do it today, starting with the "Brainy Days" exhibition by the amazing artist duo Herakut in the muca. Then, at 5.30PM, head to lothringer13 for a public tour of "A piece that nobody needs" by Pratchaya Phinthong.

Wednesday, 4 December:
TOLLWOOD & FILM: The Tollwood winter festival has started last week, featuring a gazillion of food stalls, bazaar tents, shows, concerts, kids activities etc. The socially critical motto of this year's festival is "artgerecht" (species-appropriate husbandry), so don't miss the chance to combine a leisurely visit with experiencing how the live in a battery farm from a hen's perspective (check out the impressive artist installation right at the centre of the festival area)! Here you can scroll through the December program day by day (or click on any particular day at the top of the page). The ENCORE PLUSVIEX street theatre today at 5PM looks weird enough to arouse our interest!

OTHER CHRISTMAS FAIRS: If you think Tollwood is too crowded or too far away or simply too Tollwood, but still want to enjoy a nice cup of Glühwein and spend some money on cute Christmas junk - easy enough! Just check the full list of Christmas fairs in Munich provided by the city and pick the one you prefer.

Thursday, 5 December:
FILM & MUSEUM BIRTHDAY: The Filmmuseum celebrates its 50th birthday! A full week of celebrations ends tonight with a "Zuschauerkino" special that promises to be quite exceptional! First, five movies by renowned directors of today that had been "discovered" in the "Zuschauerkino" over the last 50 years will be screened, including Werner Schroeter and Wim Wenders. After that, the "Zuschauerkino" of today will be screened. The only rule that applies to the films (preselected by a jury) is a maximum length of 13 minutes. The film makers will be present and there will be a Q&A after the screenings. Filmmuseum, 7pm, tickets from 5EUR.

Friday, 6 December:
ARTS TILL LATE: Villa Stuck, the arts museum located in a historic building designed by Franz Stuck, is open until 10PM every first Friday of the month. Moreover, from 6 till 10pm the entrance to all exhibition and the historic rooms is free! The FRIDAY LATE openings are also often accompanied by live acts, DJs and guided tours through the historic rooms. Don't forget to try the "Sünde Cocktail" (sin cocktail) at the museum café!

Weekend will follow in a separate post!