With summer nearly upon us, I feel the calling of distant horizons (and I don’t mean Winterthur!), so for the next couple of weeks I’ll be away gallivanting in whichever country will accept me. This means no new newsletter until the 16th June. In the meantime, here’s this week's newsletter for your delectation, with a couple of extra previews for June.
Give my love to the city, Ron

 

 

Because of the political situation in Iran, and viewed through the prism of mass media, the country can often be seen as just a seething mass of discontent and strife, but Iranian culture and art has always been a thing of great power and sustenance, and influential far beyond Iran’s own borders. In recent years there’s has been a resurgence of interest in Persian contemporary art, and especially cinema, with Iranian films winning hundreds of international awards over the last decade. To celebrate the work of current Iranian filmmakers, the Iranian Film Festival will be taking place at Kino Houdini, and will be showing 19 new feature, documentary and short films. The Opening Night and Award Night will be taking place at Kino Riff-Raff. See the full program here. All movies have English subtitles.
Thursday to 1st June, various times, Kino Houdini and Kino Riff Raff

 

 

Straddling Langstrasse, like creative saddlebags, are Kreis’ 4 and 5, known for their creative scene, multicultural flavour and design community. As such, they play host every year to Kreislauf 4+5, when more than 100 stores and studios open their doors and give you an opportunity to mingle with the designers, art, fashion and bars that call this corner of Zurich home. There’ll also be guided tours from some of Zurich’s famous faces, and if you’re feeling lazy and in the need for a little pampering, then just hop on one of the free e-TukTuk’s that will be cruising around. If you're not around at the weekend, it's still worth checking out the event's website, one of the best and most complete listings of this area's many studios, designers and stores. Kreislauf 4+5 will also be celebrating their 10th anniversary on Thursday at Bogen F with a party including dj Dust of Time, Pamela Méndez playing live and a lucky draw with prizes from Kreislauf stores.
Thursday 9 pm, Bogen F (Party)
Friday until 9 pm, Saturday 11 am to 5 pm, Sunday 11 am to 5 pm (Kreislauf)

 

 

 

 

 

The beautiful Old Mill buildings at Tiefenbrunnen have had a long industrial history as a mill and a brewery, but on Friday Sali Hoi wants you to forget about all that hard graft and focus on an evening on fun and recreation. They'll be taking over the courtyard with a few market stalls selling some beautiful items from Zurich’s designer shops. They’ll also have a Smoker bbq grill, mezze dishes from Yalla Habibi, and goodies from Martha’s Salad. This can all be washed down with your favourite summer tipple from the cocktail bar. And as the sun sets, so the bands come out. Firstly, the summer reggae sound of Elijah, followed by the hip-hop dub of The Broods. Entry is free.
Friday 5 pm, Alte Mühle Tiefenbrunnen, Seefeldstrasse 219, 8008

 

 

 

 

 

Festival fever is starting to heat up as the summer gets warmer and warmer and this weekend is an early chance to ease yourself into the sunny chaos with the Stolze Openair. It's Zurich's largest, free music festival but is within the city limits and is easy to get to with public transport. The line-up is a good mix of local and international bands including the hard-rocking The Weyers, electro-funkateers Tigers Head and the Afro hip hop of Muthoni the Drummer Queen. And, as the night darkens and local residents begin to complain about the noise, the music will move to Exil, where the post-festival party continues.
Friday 3rd June 11 pm, Exil (After party)
Friday 3rd & Saturday 4th June, Stolzestrasse 1, 8006 (Festival)

 

 

There’s only one event that you really need to know about while I’m away, and that’s my Rooftop Day on Saturday 11th June. I’m making sure I’m back in town for this, and it’s looking like it’s going to be the biggest and best one yet. I’ll send you a special newsletter closer to the time with all the information you’ll need and all the city rooftops you can discover.
Saturday 11th June, all day, on rooftops all over town

 

 

Zurich’s open-air pools and baths officially opened last week, and with the weather looking better everyday, it might be time to break out the water wings and get splashing. Zurich has 25 swimming areas around town, so I challenge you to try out every single one of them by the end of the summer. For a full list, check the city's website where you can also order your season ticket with a 10 % discount until the end of the month.  

 

 

Everyone knows that if you want to look cool in the summertime, then you need to wear a pair of shades, and if you want to look extra cool then those shades need to be vintage. Just in case you’re needing your own cool to be fluffed up a little, it’s Vintage Sunglasses Day on Thursday at Timetunnel Living, where they’ll have over 800 pairs of sunglasses, from the 1940’s to 1990’s, for you to try and buy. As the event is happening at night, they’ll also have a few drinks on hand to get you feeling all vintage and cool.
Thursday 5 pm to 10 pm, Timetunnel Living,  Viaduktstrasse 77, 8005