Thursday: Offset Sets It Off At Halle 622

Friday: Terrible Yet Entertaining: Sharknado Plays At Arthouse

Fri & Sat: Not One, But Two Quartierfests For You (Scroll ⬇️)

Saturday: Two Opportunities To  Hunt For Some Bargains

Sat - 30th Aug: Scientifica: Science But Hopefully Without Wang Shaped Rockets (Scroll ⬇️)

Tuesday: Greg Freeman Hits Bogen F

Zurich’s Quartierfest season is in full swing and this weekend you have two opportunities to join the neighbourhood fun. Over in Kreis 5, the Röntgenplatzfest has been bringing locals together since 1980, while Wiedikon hosts the 13th edition of the Brupbacherplatzfest. Both offer live music, DJs, food, drinks and plenty of local merriment. I’m a big fan of these smaller festivals — no wristbands, no overpriced camping and you can probably walk home afterwards. And as they take place on Friday and Saturday, you can visit both and decide which Kreis parties hardest?

Fri & Sat, Röntgenplatzfest, Röntgenplatz, 8005

Fri & Sat, Brupbacherplatzfest, Brupbacherplatz, 8003

I love science. If i hadn’t spent my whole life being a bon vivant i would have loved to have studied physics. It really is like magic! So i’m going to enjoy Scientifica, the festival in conjunction with ETH and the Zurich University. Switzerland’s largest science festival returns for nine days, with 1,000 researchers showing off everything from rockets and race cars to brain research, climate science and lunar landers. There are experiments, workshops, laboratory tours and plenty of opportunities to ask way smarter people than me, stupid questions. It’s spread across several Zurich locations and, importantly, much of it is free.

Sat - 30th Aug, Scientifica, Various Locations

Any big kids amongst you? If you answered with an emphatic yes while jumping up and down, then this tip is definitely for you!

The Freiburg resort of Charmey has taken the humble playground slide, stuck it halfway up a mountain and created a Toboggan Trail. Grab a special mat at the top and make your way down the mountain via seven slides, the longest stretching an impressive 62 metres and allowing you to reach speeds of up to 33km/h. There’s a bit of walking involved between slides, but with some beautiful mountain scenery to enjoy, that’s hardly a punishment. Technically, the trail is for children aged eight and above (so heading there on a school day might be wise,) but, thankfully, I can’t find anything mentioning a maximum age. Sometimes being a grown-up is massively overrated anyway.

Mon - Thurs | 10am - 3:30pm
Fri - Sat |10am - 8pm
Sunday | 10am - 3:30pm

charmey.ch, Les Charrières 3, Charmey 1637

In western Senegal lies Toubakuta, a small village surrounded by rivers and picturesque mangrove forests. Ebrahim grew up there before leaving to find work, but he never lost his connection to home. Today, as an entrepreneur and community leader, he trains young bricklayers and dreams of a future where everyone can build a life for themselves without being forced to leave home.

Over a cup of tea, the idea for Peace of Mind was born: a project promoting sustainable, community-focused tourism. The plan is to build three eco-friendly apartments and a communal garden in Kololi, on Gambia’s Atlantic coast. More than simply somewhere to stay, it will be a place where travellers and locals can meet, offering a more authentic way to experience the region. If you’d like to support the project, you can donate here