Cultural Digest: Don't miss these events in Europe this week

Royals in bloom - the late Queen Elizabeth at last year's Chelsea Flower Show - Copyright The AP

Published on 20/05/2023 - 06:00•Updated 26/05/2023 - 22:17

Need some new weekend plans? Whether you're going out or staying in, we've got you covered. Here's Euronews Culture's guide to what's on in Europe this week.

If you're struggling with the post Eurovision blues, or just looking for some culturally enriching things to do in Europe this week, here are some of the best events and new media releases to look out for.

Exhibition

If you’re in Prague, don’t miss the Masters of Renaissance exhibition at Mánes Gallery, which ends on 30 May.

While Italy and France are known as the homes to famous works from artists such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli, you can now see recreations of their most iconic pieces.

For the first time ever, the Mánes Gallery is offering art fans a chance to see masterful reproductions of more than 40 world-famous artworks, including versions of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, as well as Michelangelo's David, which recently caused controversy in the United States after being deemed ‘pornographic’, but is actually considered to be a perfect depiction of the proportions of the human body.

Each of the recreations are life-sized, giving an accurate representation of the original works and allowing visitors to see the details of the pieces up close. That’s not possible with many of the originals - take, for example, the Louvre, where the Mona Lisa is hidden behind thick armoured glass and viewers can only see it from a distance of a few metres.

Music festival

The Blues Spring music festival ends 31 May in Vienna, so if you’re a fan of the genre, make sure not to skip the last few shows.

The event kicked off on 20 March and has showcased over 2 months-worth of performances by locals and overseas guests in venues across the city, including the Reigen Live bar, which has a long musical history dating back to the 1950s jazz scene, and the the Mozarthaus, where Mozart composed The Marriage of Figaro.

Highlights before the festival wraps up include the Leroy Emmanuel Trio, playing 24 May, Meena Cryle & The Chris Fillmore Band, who’ll perform on 26 May, and Walter Trout of Canned Heat fame, who’s closing out the event on 31 May as part of his European tour.

Carnival

Berlin will play host to some international colour with the Carnival of Cultures, which runs from 26 to 29 May.

It’s been a free, four day event since 1996 and celebrates cultural diversity in the German capital.

Highlights include a huge street parade in Kreuzberg on Sunday 28 May, where more than 5000 dancers, musicians and artists from all across the globe will perform to an audience of around half a million people lining the streets. Performances will include everything from Brazilian samba and Chinese lion dancers, to West African drummers and Swiss carnival brass players - to name just a few.

As well as the parade, there’s a large entertainment programme on offer, with theatre performances, interactive shows and culinary offerings across the city. For the duration of the festival, Blücherplatz is the place to be - with a huge street party, featuring around 350 market stalls celebrating the cultural melting pot that is Berlin.

Horticulture

The Chelsea Flower Show gets underway in the grounds of London's Royal Hospital Chelsea from 23 to 27 May. The theme for this year's event is the restorative power of gardens and gardening, and how they are key to helping our environment.

Highlights of the world-renowned show are Chelsea Gold medal winner Tom Massey's garden inspired by rich biodiversity found in areas of wasteland, Sarah Price's low carbon garden and Mark Gregory's garden, where you can learn all about growing your own food for a healthier lifestyle.

Exhibition

Recently opened in Malaga is the first exhibition in Spain devoted exclusively to Picasso's most monumental sculptural work. The show, Picasso Sculptor. Matter and Body is part of an international programme of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the artist's death on April 8 1973. It's also the 20th anniversary of the inauguration of the Museo Picasso Málaga (MPM).

Visitors can walk around the pieces, some standing more than two metres high, to view them from different angles.

The collection brings together 60 works made between 1909 and 1964 that underline the importance of representations of the human body for Picasso.

Music

The French city of Lyon is hosting the 20th-anniversary edition of the 'Nuits Sonores,' from the 17-21 May, a festival entirely dedicated to electronic music. Spread out over five days, music and workshops are taking place in 40 different venues across the city, both day and night, including the Fagor Brandt factories, the Auditorium of Lyon and La Sucrière by the river Saône.

For its 20th anniversary, the history of Nuits Sonores will be celebrated through a photography exhibition and a podcast series. Local artists like King Doudou, Vardae, Warum, LB aka LABAT, Lazuli and Lumbago will form a significant part of this year's lineup, alongside international acts such as Jennifer Cardini, Marcel Dettmann, Richie Hawtin and Moderat. The event is also giving a platform to Ukrainian artists through the NS Lab programme, which features talks and listening sessions, with community radio stations like 20ft Radio (Kyiv) and Radio Béguin (Lyon).

Film

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

Judy Blume’s teen novel, published in 1970, has a fervent fanbase but hasn't been adapted for the big screen - until now. The book was essential reading for generations of young girls heading into adolescence, so director Kelly Fremon Craig (Edge of Seventeen) had a huge task ahead to do the book justice. Starring: Rachel McAdams, Abby Ryder Fortson, Elle Graham, Benny Safdie, Kathy Bates.

Released in France April 28, UK 19 May

Music

Blur, 'The Narcissist'

Returning Britpop legends Blur have shared their single ‘The Narcissist’ from an upcoming 10-track album titled ‘The Ballad Of Darren’, due to be released on 21 July. Lead singer Damon Albarn has called it, rather gnomically, “an aftershock record; reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now”.