If dance is the most primal of human artistic instincts then Heliopolis at ewz-Unterwerk Selnau fully updates it for the 21st Century. Inspired by films such as Blade Runner and Metropolis, five dancers will inhabit a fictional future city where their movements create the life, architecture and sound of an urban space using advanced motion-tracking technology. The intimate interaction of video, audio, projection and dance will bring to life a city of light that, at least while the music plays and the dancers dance, you can call home.
Thursday to Saturday 8 pm, ewz-Unterwerk Selnau

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but there’s a certain excitement in the air, bustle in the shops and extra glistening lights in the streets that the locals like to refer to as Christmas, a strange custom that appears to celebrate the return of a fat, bearded man who seems quite jolly for some reason. What also returns to town this time of year is ice-skating, and one of the best places to do this is at the ETH Zurich. Not only do you get free entry to the rink (you only pay for the hire of skates), a warm tent with food and drinks (at student prices) but you also get one of the best views of the whole city as you glide, fairy-like, over the ice.
Thursday until 14th December, open until 10 pm (except Sunday, 6 pm) ETH Zurich

Andrew Weatherall is one of a select group of djs that have managed to soundtrack and shape modern pop culture. In the Nineties he merged rock and club sensibilities by producing Happy Mondays, New Order and, most influentially, the Primal Scream album, Screamadelica. He’s been at the forefront of techno, house and balearic music over the last twenty-five years and, hell, he even has an entire two-day music festival named after him in the south of France. If you want to hear what all the fuss is about, he’ll be djing at Zukunft on Saturday night.
Saturday 12 am, Zukunft

This Saturday sees the opening of two new stores in Zurich, as well as a one-day international independent publishers fair. Palanca is a new gallery in town that will be displaying, and selling, work from Swiss and international contemporary artists and designers. Their aim is to make art accessible and, perhaps more importantly, affordable to the likes of us. The opening event starts at 2 pm and runs into the evening with drinks and djs. Circle – The Sustainable Shop, as the name subtly suggests, hopes to bring sustainability, fairness and quality to our lives. It will stock goods from brands that realise time may be infinite but resources are not. And finally, Perla-Mode are organising an Independent Publishing Fair that will be showcasing books from publishers, artists and designers from around the world. A photography-centric travelling library, Zines of the Zone, will also be stopping by, and if you need some beats with your books they’ve also got some live bands and djs to keep you entertained.
Saturday from 2 pm, Palanca, Seebahnstrasse 125, 8003
Saturday from 5 pm, Circle - The Sustainable Shop, Brunngasse 3, 8001
Saturday from 12 pm, Perla-Mode, Brauerstrasse 37, 8004

Basislager is located in West Zurich at Altstetten and houses a community of around 200 people from the artistic, cultural and creative industries including photography, literature, music, fashion, sculpture, as well as the performing and visual arts. It’s also a place of nurture for young start-up companies and small business to take their first steps. This Sunday they are having a Christmas Market where you’ll not only be able to buy items from this creative community but also explore their workshops and studios. As you browse for gifts you can also enjoy a warm rustic kitchen with grill and a bar with hot glühwein and musical entertainment. I think I can hear sleigh bells in the distance.
Sunday  11 am to 6 pm, Basislager, Aargauerstrasse 14-94, 8048

Kate Tempest is a rare breed in the world of hip-hop and rap. Not only is she a white female from South London, but she has also recently become the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Ted Hughes Award for her poetry collections and has written a soon-to-be published novel that more fully explores the themes and characters of her latest album, Everybody Down. So, if you’re looking for a little more out of your rappers than ‘wave your hands in the air, like you just don’t care’, Kate’ll be playing live at Exil on Tuesday evening.
Tuesday 6.30 pm, Exil

To me, restaurant Gloria is glorious! Maybe it's the waitress, who never gets an order wrong even though she remembers everything including special requests and drinks without taking a note. Maybe it's the bright welcoming smile of the owner. Maybe it's their food. Maybe it's their non-existing website. Or maybe, it's the charming round windows and the comfy leather sofas. And since their renovation, the floor comes in a slick black and bar and walls in a matching warm red. Very nice.
Restaurant Gloria, Josefstrasse 59, 8005 Zurich

Finally, winter is arriving and I finally notice all the Maroni stalls. I love these roasted chestnuts: so sweet and warm healthy! As the vendors of each stall often change every season I won't be able to tell you which sells the best ones. Generally they're all in all the same, but I can certainly recommend the couple at Albisriederplatz and Ruth at Bucheggplatz. While Maroni are nice as a snack, caramelized chestnuts are probably my favourite side dish, served with venison, which is in season during winter in most restaurants. So enjoy the old chestnut. It's also supposed to be healthy.

Yves G. Rittener has a passion for (signed) first editions of modern literature, art, punk and psychedelic music from the sixties and seventies, guitars and slot cars. He collected so many items that they crowded his flat. He offers them for sale now in his shop YGRbookS at Haldenstrasse 159 close to Goldbrunnenplatz. While chatting with Yves about the world and drinking horrible instant coffee you get a chance to brows the shelves with all the treasures. A very nice way to spend a rainy afternoon. Visitors are always welcome and if you have a rare item to sell, Yves is also the person to see.
Haldenstrasse 150, 8055. Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 am to 6.30 pm, Saturday 10 am to 4 pm

You have a date coming up that you would like to impress. Or you want to show your family over the holidays that you actually learned something in Switzerland? Then check out Sam Tucker’s tutorial on how to play the piano if you don’t know how to play the piano. The result is quiet impressive and the instruction so simple that I’m sure even I could do it.