THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 28 APRIL - 4 MAY

Did you have a good week? We certainly hope you did. We feel a little bit guilty that you had to miss out on last week's blog post. It's not like nothing has been going on in Munich, on the contrary! Unfortunately, we both were too busy to write it down. Let's start making up for it straight away!

All week:  
FUNFAIR I: Frühlingsfest, the spring festival at Theresienwiese, is something like a small sibling of the Oktoberfest. Made from the same ingredients (beer, sausages and funfaire rides), it's smaller in size and considerably less excessive. The focus is also more shifted to Gemütlichkeit and family fun rather than boundless consumption of alcohol. It can still get quite crowded when the weather is fine.

FUNFAIR II: If you choose to go to just one fun fair, our pick would be the Auer Dult. A combination of fun fair and crafts fair, the "Dult" is a festival with a great relaxed traditional atmosphere, and it's beautifully located at the foot of Mariahilfkirche in Au. Don't miss the small kiosks selling antiques and crafts.

Monday, 28 April:
ENGLISH IMPROV THEATRE: Improv shows in English are rare in Munich, so if you are not native German and would like to have some laughs without straining your brains to get that joke in German - don't miss the Bake This show on Monday! Starts at 8pm.

Tuesday, 29 April:
MAGIC BULLETS: Have you already seen "The Black Rider" at the Metropoltheater? If not - you really should! Music and lyrics were written by Tom Waits, and the musical has been brilliantly interpreted by director Jöchen Schölz and the actors at the Metropol theatre. There are still tickets available for the tonight's show, but check out other dates as well if you can't make it tonight.  

Wednesday, 30 April:
DANCE INTO MAY: The night before the 1st of May holiday in Germany is when you get together with friends and drink and dance all night. In fact, the tradition is so old that some time ago on that same night in Germany you would burn a few witches and dance around the fires. Must have been a lot of fun -  that is, if you were not the one who was being burned... Luckily, times have changed, and nowadays witches are quite safe. However, the tradition lives on and the dancing continues. If you can't pick a club, we suggest the Milla in Glockenbach. Trio Infernale will be playing at Milla and the entrance is free. We do not actually know the band, but Milla is a great location often hosting fantastic gigs, so we think it's a safe choice.

ARTS & COMMERCE: Guess we should mention the Stroke Art Fair that starts today. When we first heard about it last year (it was the fourth Stroke, but we missed the first one and lived in London during the second and the third), we were quite excited: Urban art is certainly underrepresented in Munich, so we thought it was a great gain. Unfortunately, when we visited the fair, we were rather disappointed. It was more a sales market for galleries than an urban art show, and for this, the entrance fee for visitors seemed unfairly high. On the other, there will be some live paintings and a birthday party on Friday. So check out their website and decide for yourselves.

Thursday, 1 May:
SURREALIST FILM NIGHT: "Open Scene" at the Filmmuseum is showing Luis Buñuels surrealist classic "L'age d'or" (1930), followed by "Dreams that money can buy" (1947) by dadaist artist Hans Richter. The Museum Villa Stuck is currently hosting an exhibition based on Buñuels strongly influential film, so watching it tonight and visiting the exhibition later sounds like a good plan. The curators of the exhibition will be at the Filmmuseum to give an introduction.

Friday, 2 May:
YURT OPENING: Kulturjurte München opens it's doors in Fröttmaning (from 1pm). That is, if a yurt has doors. Anyway - the Kulturjurte seems like a great project, a new space for workshops, discussion and arts exhibitions, organized by great enthusiasts. We are curious and look forward to interesting events.   

Saturday, 3 May:
FLEA MARKET: The Hofflohmärkte return! This week you can walk into more than 250(!) courts and gardens in Haidhausen and Bogenhausen, buy useful utensils, useless junk and homemade cakes, and have wonderful chats with the locals.

Preview for next week:
DOK.fest, the 29th International Documentary Film Festival in Munich, starts on May 7th. Book your tickets before it's too late!

THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 19 - 21 APRIL

Here a few ideas to make sure that you do not get bored during the long Easter weekend. 

Saturday, 19 April:
EASTER SHOPPING: With the shops closed on Friday, Sunday and Monday, Saturday is your only chance to stock up supplies. If your fridge is full and you are still in the mood for shopping, you could make a short trip to Ottobrun where the Bareso Bistro is organising a Saturday market with local suppliers (10am to 3pm) and special guests like the Gustavo, whose upcycled earrings, sewing machines and coat pegs look very beautiful. If you want to stay more central, Markt der Sinne on Praterinsel may be your choice (also open on Sunday and Monday).

Sunday, 20 April:
MUSEUM DAY 1: David Shrigley's Drawing exhibition in the Pinakothek der Moderne has been met with a lot of excitement, in the first place due to its unusual concept that allowed everybody who can draw to participate and co-create the exhibits. Check it out today for just 1EUR (since it's Sunday). Anna has also contributed a drawing, so we are quite excited to see the result.

Monday, 21 April:
MUSEUM DAY 2: Münchner Stadtmuseum (city museum of Munich) is a real jewel often unjustly overlooked by locals and visitors alike. Apart from the very entertaining sections permanently on display (the historical musical instruments section is especially recommended), there is always a great selection of temporary exhibitions. Here's what's on now: Asylum at the Stadtmuseum (African puppets and masks), Hermann Landshof Retrospective (photographs from 1930s to 1970s), M.T. Wetzlar silversmith's (Jewish family business aryanized by the Nazis) and our personal highlight - Soundlab1, the museum's music collection relaunched as a "sound laboratory" that allows you to experiment with the exhibits. The museum is open on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. Here's some additional motivation from the museum staff: during the Easter holidays every visitor will get a nougat Easter egg while supplies last.

SPRING SPRAYING: And here's another idea for any sunny day: take some friends and spray cans (best place to buy cans in Munich is the Ghostyard shop in Westend) and head to Tumblinger Strasse (Schlachthofviertel). Find a wall and spray something awesome or simply try something and have some laughs. We certainly had a lot of fun when we did this!  

Spring sprayers, Tumblinger Strasse

THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 14 - 18 APRIL

Monday, 14 April:
DIX VS BECKMANN: Their lives show several parellels, however it is not known whether they ever met in person. Whatever the case may be, the juxtapositon of two of the most important German painters of the 20th century at the Hypo-Kunsthalle is definitely worth checking out. "Dix / Beckman: World as myth" will run until August (10am to 8pm daily), Mondays tickes are only 6€ (half the regular price).

Tuesday, 15 April:
MUC PHOTOGRAPHY: Portraits, landscapes, photo essays and macros - Munich's emering photographers' exhibition opening tonight at 8PM at Provisorium will represent the city in all its facets. The exhibition will run only until Sunday, so hurry up. Entrance is free. 

Wednesday, 16 April:
EASTER EGGS: How do you want your eggs for Easter? Join the HUIJ Easter workshop and give them your indivudal style! One hour for a tenner, 2 to 5 hours for 20€. 

Friday, 18 April:
CYCLING AT NIGHT: In keeping with its motto "We are not blocking the traffic, we are traffic!", Critical Mass Munich is calling upon cyclists to join the "disorganized, untihierarchical" protest for equal rights with motorised traffic. All you need to do is jump on your bike and join the crowd meeting at the foot of Bavaria tonight at 8pm. Don't forget your lights and helmets!

We leave you with this fantastically edited MUC-version of Pharell Williams "Happy" earworm. Thumbs up to everybody who participated and helped produce the video!

THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 7 - 13 APRIL

Monday, 7 April:
PURE DATA: For all you hands-on electronic music enthusiasts: there will be a free introduction to Pure Data software at Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Carl-Orff-Auditorium. Free, just turn up. Starts at 6pm.

Tuesday, 8 April:
ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS: The students of the Academy of Fine Arts are showcasing their work at their Debütantenausstellung 2014. Akademiestr. 2-4. Free, just turn up. Starts at 7pm, performance by Lisiena at 9pm.

Thursday, 10 April:
PINAKOTHEK: Last week there was a fun art performance at Pinakothek der Moderne by the Scottish artist David Shringley, at which Anna also took part - all illustrators and drawers were invited to sketch the 'Secret Sculpture' in a hidden room. Shortly before the exhibition the sculpture will be destroyed, and the only remaining imagery of the sculpture is going to be the drawings. The exhibition opens at 7pm and runs from 11 April until 10 August, from 10am until 6pm.

Saturday, 12 April:
FLEA MARKET: It's time for another Midnight Bazar at Reithalle! Shop, drink and dance! 5pm - 12am, tickets 3€. And before that there will be Munich's biggest flea market for kids at the same venue. 9am - 1pm, tickets 2€, free for kids. 

Sunday, 13 April:
BOARD GAMES: Love playing board games and making international friends at the same time? Drop by at Leib und Seele, Oettingenstraße 36 for a board games session. Feel free to bring your own games or use one from the basic selection on the spot. 2pm - 6pm.

THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 3 - 6 APRIL

Thursday, 3 April: 

PHOTOGRAPHY: A great chance to see Henri Cartier-Bresson's and Sergio Larrain's retrospective, hosted by Kunstfoyer der Versicherungskammer Kunststiftung, Maximilianstr. 53. Free entry. Runs until 9 June, 9am until 7pm daily.

Friday, 4 April:
MUSEUM NIGHT: It's time for another Friday late at Villa Stuck! This time they have invited various artists to orchestrate scenes from Buñuel's surrealistic film »L’Âge d’Or«. Prinzregentenstr. 60. Free entry, from 11am until 11pm.

Saturday, 5 April:
DIY FAIR: Come for a bunch of creative workshops on knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking and all kinds of techniques at Munich's 19th Creativmesse, which will be running from Friday until Sunday, from 10am until 6pm. You can also buy some hand-made jewelry, textiles, beads, paper, etc. Sounds like fun! See a full list of event and participants here. MTC World of Fashion, Ingolstädterstr. 45, daytickets 6€.

OPEN STUDIOS: Artists are going to open their doors for the Open Westend. A perfect excuse to sneak into all those hidden back-yards and explore the beautiful artsy Westend. Have a look at the full programme and the map. Open on Friday 3pm-9pm, Saturday 12pm-8pm, Sunday 12pm-7pm.

Sunday, 6 April:
CINEMA: If you haven't done so yet, why not head to the cinema to watch Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel? The trailer looks very promising, starring such brilliant actors as Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and many others. If you enjoyed Anderson's previous films such as Moonlight Kingdom as much as we did, you definitely shouldn't miss this one!
Here are some  options for watching it in English: Cinema, 4.55pm, tickets 9€. Museum Lichtspiele, 6.25pm, 8.45pm, 11pm, tickets 8.50€. City Kinos, 3.30pm, 6.10pm, 8.30pm, tickets 9€.

Creativmesse

THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 31 MARCH - 1 APRIL

We are back! Which means, we've been away. It was not intended, but it turned out that we needed a longer break. Now we finally feel rested and prepared for all kinds of freakish events in our blooming city, kissed by the sun and seduced by moonlight... However, to make sure that we do not need another break too soon, we will adjust the rhythm of the posts in this blog to our lifes, which means that the posts will be less regular (but not necessarily less frequent). They will also cover different periods of time, and not always a whole week. Enough said, here we go, and the week starts with a bang!

Monday, 31 March:

MUSIC AGAINST ALL WARS: "It was only this afternoon that we still believed in something. Demonstration to bury all wars R.I.P." Such is the title of a freakish performance / demonstration thought out by Munich based artist Anna McCarthy. Munich's department of Arts and Culture has selected five arts projects to commemorate 100 years since the beginning of WWI, Anna's project among them. The demonstration (Meeting Point: 1pm Marienplatz, march to Zenith concert hall) will be accompanied by dadaist poetry interpreted in songs and speech by several musicians, among them Anna McCarthy's band Damenkapelle and Anna's brother Nick McCarthy from the band Franz Ferdinand (who play Zenith this evening). Here's the description of the project from Anna McCarthy's website:   

The demonstration follows the route of the striking arms' workers in Munich, January 1918 during the 1st World War. This was one of the main demonstrations that led to the overthrow of the Wittelsbach monarchy and the shortlived Bavarian Socialist Revolution (1918-1919) led on by anarchist artists and writers including Erich Mühsam, Ernst Toller, Oskar Maria Graf and Kurt Eisner.
The highly decorated float will move through the city visiting significant points and remembering the shortlived dream of a free state through song and speech. The poems of Erich Mühsam and Hugo Ball (founder of Dada) are newly interpreted by Munich-based musicians DAMENKAPELLE, Tagar, Manu Rzytki, Federico Sanchez, Sebastian Kellig and Nick McCarthy from Franz Ferdinand (pun intended). The story will be told backwards and abstracted of the days before, during and following; to end all wars then and now.
The next day we will wake up and realise we've all been fooled.

Tuesday, 1 April:
ART IST HART: Opening of an "analog vs. digital art" group exhibition in Provisorium. A long list of interesting artists - sounds like a nice pretext to visit an arts bar with a certain charm. Talk to the artists, have some drinks, and don't be fooled!

Source: http://www.annamccarthy.de/

THINGS TO DO IN MÜ: 24 FEBRUARY - 02 MARCH

Time to move on. Really sorry we skipped the previous weekend, but being both born in Ukraine, we couldn't think of anything else but the events in Kiev during the last few days. Hopefully things have changed for the better now. So here's to a new week of great international cultural events in Munich!


Monday, 24 February:
RUSSIAN POLITICAL CABARET: Something for our Russian speaking followers: An evening with Victor Shenderovich, an outspoken critic of the Putin regime and a highly gifted, popular satirist and writer. Kulturzentrum Gorod, 7.30PM, tickets are 15€ (don't be late, a full house is very likely).

Tuesday, 25 February:
MAKE FRIENDS: Come and meet new people at the Couch Surfer's weekly meeting, which will be held at Kulturjurte this time. Bring your traveling or CS experience pictures, take part in laughing yoga exercises, have a beer and dance to the music! Kulturjurte is a unique project in Munich, which uses empty spaces for concerts, art installations, food sharing campaigns and all sorts of alternative projects! Currently they reside in the abandoned factory of the “Isartalbahn” in Thalkirchen, Benediktibeurerstr. 22. Starts at 7pm.

Wednesday, 26 February:
DESIGN EVENTS: The Munich Creative Business Week is in town. Spread over several locations, it includes talk, exhibitions and workshops ranging from architecture and industrial design to experimental art installations and maker initiatives. Recommended on Wednesday: an pop-up creative lab organised by Nürnberger FabLab, at the BMW Welt - Doppelkegel, Am Olympiapark 1. From 9am until 6pm.
On Thursday our hackers-friends will introduce you to the world of 3D printing at Werk 1, and the brand new hacker space Munich Maker Lab. See the full programme online here or a PDF-version here.

Thursday, 27 February:
GEEKY TALKS: At last! After a long winter break another Nerd Nite is awaiting us! (We've already mentioned them previously.) An evening with three experts who talk about their passions. This time you will get the chance to hear about the history of mainframe computers by Wolfgang Stief, sea-devils and their illumination by Julia Schmidt-Petersen, and early history of sound reproduction by Karl Bruckmaier. The first and the third topics sound especially intriguing for such media history geeks as we happen to be. Neuraum, Arnulfstr. 17. Tickets 5€. Starts at 7.30pm.

Friday, 28 February:
BICYCLE REPAIR: Bike Kitchen (which we once described in this post) visits Kulturjurte. This is where you can get advise and help with repairing your bike. There will also be a concert by a garage band Travel in Space, and a bicycle-themed light installation. Free, just turn up. Starts at 5.30pm.

Saturday, 01 March: 
IMPROV-THEATRE: Haven't been to a theatre performance for a long time? Or always wanted to experience theatre in a new way? Mixxit ImproShow sounds like a huge fun! Come to an evening of laughter, where you co-create the things happening on the stage! Ars Musica, Plinganserstr. 6. Tickets 12€/10€. Starts at 8pm. 

EXHIBITION: 25 artists from 50 countries invite you to their exhibition "Elements of Nature" at Halle50, Domargkstr. 33. We especially recommend to have a look at the amazing Jazz ceramics by our friend Tania Borushko. The show will be on until the 9 March. Free entry, starts at 7pm.

Sunday, 02 March:
CINEMA: Philomena with our beloved Dame Judi Dench is finally out! Cinema will be screening it in English for a nice morning price of just 6,50€. Get your ticket at the ticket office (Nymphenburgerstr. 31), or online. Starts at 10.30am.


By the way, the schools in Bavaria will have a Fasching break next week, and if you still don't know what to do with your kids (age 10-14), here is a great suggestion: sign up for a free workshop at Lothringer 13, lead by the artists Stefan Wischnewski and Anna Blumenkranz, dedicated to the current exhibition "Antwort der Dinge" where kids can experiment with textiles, electronics and every-day objects, and create speaking creatures. Materials cost 7€, runs from 10am until 5pm. Hurry, there are only two places left! To sign up write an e-mail until 26 February to vermittlung@lothringer13.de.

Radl Bazi at Bike Kitchen.