Some underrepresented groups finally get a well-deserved spotlight this week. First up: the Black Film Festival – showcasing films that… well, I could tell you, but scrolling down builds character.

And here’s a fun (slightly shame-inducing) question: how many female classical composers can you name? Yeah. Same. It genuinely never crossed my mind that almost the entire classical canon was written by men in wigs. Luckily, Zentralwäscherei are stepping in to help fix that historical facepalm.

To balance things out, we’ve also got a couple of excellent shopping tips and a bit of sun-baked Californian electronica thrown in, because why not? Variety is the spice of newsletters. Enjoy!

Fri - Sun: Black Filmakers To The Fore. (Scroll ⬇️ to find out more)

Friday: Illuminarium Is The Place For The Hits

Saturday: Vinokilo Hits Town (Scroll ⬇️ to find out more)

Saturday: Female Composers Get Some Attention At Zentralwäscherie

Sunday: Local Arts And Crafts For Sale At Bierlab

Sunday: Santa Barbara Based Electronic Trio, Łaszewo Hit Exil (Scroll ⬇️ to find out more)

Zurich doesn’t shout about its blind spots, and neither does the rest of the world for that matter. But the Black Film Festival tries, gently and powerfully, to do exactly that. At the festival, under-represented voices finally get the spotlight: Black filmmakers telling their own narratives and weaving stories from Lagos to London, Harlem to Harare.

The festival is centred around Houdini and features 15 films. Although the website is only in German, many of the films are in English with German subtitles. Make sure you check before booking. I’m looking forward to seeing Kipkemboi / The Wall Street Boy and Black People Don’t Get Depressed.

Fri - Sun, Black Film Festival, Houdini, Badenerstrasse 173, 8003

Get ready, Zürich: Vinokilo is rolling into town and bringing a mountain of vintage treasure with it. Picture this: you stroll into a hall packed with colour, denim, leather and glorious 80s/90s energy — and you pay by the kilo. Yes, like apples. Only way more stylish. Dig for Levi’s gold, snag that «I swear it’s designer» bomber, or adopt the trench coat destined to star in your winter selfies. Book an early-bird ticket for seven bucks if you want first pick, otherwise slip in for free and trust your luck. Sustainable shopping, feel-good fashion and plenty of «omg look at this!» moments guaranteed. Check out their website for answers to any questions. It starts in German and mysteriously changes to English half way down. Das ist very perplexing.

Saturday 12pm - 8pm, Vinokilo, Kunsthaus Zürich, Heimplatz, 8001

How do you pronounce Łaszewo? I have no idea yet, but trying to find out turned my computer Polish for a day. Pronunciation aside, the Santa Barbara based electronic trio are leaving their California nest and coming to Exil. Their first release, «Up in Flames», has racked up a whopping 16 million streams on Spotify, enough profits to buy each of them a seven year old Skoda with 115k on the clock. Since they have played major festivals, released a song with a very fruity title and even collaborated with Candy Crush, it seems rude not to go. Grab a ticket and enjoy the music. Oh, yeah! And buy some merch if you can!

Sunday 7pm, Exil, Hardstrasse 245, 8005

A few months ago I mentioned the Fahrplanwechsel, that magical day of the year when a brave but unlucky few find themselves waiting for a tram that simply refuses to exist. Well, buckle up. This Sunday brings the biggest shake-up ever, and it won’t just be a tiny minority staring at empty tracks. Almost every tram line is affected, some with entirely new routes. A good example is the number 8 which will no longer go anywhere near Paradeplatz. And most trams are getting new timetables too. My usual rides are all four minutes earlier, which feels like a personal attack.

So do yourself a favour and check your regular routes online or in the SBB or ZVV apps. I, for one, am deeply curious to see what happens on Monday morning when half the city realises their tram has moved house.

This year, Advent comes with an absolute cosmic show-stopper: the Geminids, one of the strongest meteor showers of all, are clocking in for duty. From 4 to 17 December, countless bright meteors will zip, zoom and sizzle across the night sky, reaching their big finale on the night of 13 to 14 December. And good news, Switzerland – conditions are so ideal that we might see up to 150 shooting stars per hour. That’s basically celestial confetti. Hit the button to find out more...