As i am not around for a couple of weeks, i have included a gig in between Christmas and New Year. There are some great parties this week and some shopping opportunities, and don’t forget to check out some comedy.

Thursday: Start The Christmas Week With Some Comedy

Thurs - Sun: Get Your Presents Sorted At Heiliger Bimbam (Scroll ⬇️ to find out more

Saturday: All Aboard For The Queer Cruise

Saturday: The Cinema Is The Place For A Party

Sat & Sun: The Ghost Of Christmas Past, Present & Future At Volkshaus

Sat 27th Dec: Acid Jazz Band Galliano Hit Moods (Scroll ⬇️ to find out more)

With a week to go until Christmas, it’s time to get the shopping done. Don’t wait until 11 PM on Christmas Eve and turn up with a bottle of engine oil, new windscreen wipers, and other «amazing» gifts from the filling station. Instead, head to the Heiliger Bimbam, which kicks off today. No cans of tyre sealant here, just gift ideas from independent creatives, micro-producers, and antique and vintage items. The market runs until Sunday, so no excuses not to get down there.

Thurs & Fri 5pm Sat & Sun 12pm, Heiliger Bimbam, Halle 550D, Birchstrasse 150, 8050

The period between Christmas and New Year is always a tough one. You’ve eaten and drunk as much as you can take, you’re fed up with sitting indoors, and maybe the family were driving you to distraction. So grab your coat and head out to Moods for one of the only gigs happening between Christmas and 2026. The UK’s Galliano are hitting the stage for what is going to be a groovy and funky end to 2025. The band emerged from the UK acid jazz boom of the late eighties and nineties alongside Incognito, The Brand New Heavies, and Jamiroquai. But don’t hold that against them. 😉

Sat 27th 7:30pm, Moods, Schiffbauplatz, 8005

By mid-November at the latest, it begins: the acoustic hostage situation caused by Christmas music. «All I Want for Christmas» blares out of every shop doorway, «Last Christmas» follows you right into your sleep. If you’re not yet completely Christmas-soundtrack-traumatised, (my favourite new word of 2025) but still need a little festive atmosphere, here are five songs your ears don’t (yet) hate.

What a year. While the big publishers were busy trying to outdo each other, smaller studios swept the awards. Here are six games that defined 2025 – from French melancholy to a cozy mouse hole.

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)

A French indie studio takes Game of the Year? That’s exactly what happened. Sandfall Interactive proved with this RPG that you don’t need a massive Japanese studio to create a JRPG that breaks your heart. The premise: every year, a goddess paints a number, and everyone of that age dies. A Belle Époque–style world, turn-based combat with real-time elements, and a soundtrack touring across Europe. Even Macron sent his congratulations.

January is traditionally a bit of a dead month for gigs—not much live music around, normally. But this month really delivers, with around 60 shows for you to enjoy. Whether you like tribute acts (James Brown twice this month), singer/songwriters, jazz, or metal, I’ve found something for you. And I think my favourite band name of next month goes to: Rotting Christ, who’ll be appearing at Dynamo as part of the Meh Suff festival. What a name!