Culture Agenda: The best things to do, hear, see or watch in Europe this week

Yahoo

19-05-2025

The sun is (hopefully) shining wherever you are — and great food, art, disco and flower shows are calling... Although we're most excited about watching Tom Cruise hanging upside down off a plane's wing in the upcoming Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning.
If you're still catching up with last week's happenings — check out the latest culture catch-up, in which our critic David Mouriquand and editor Tokunbo Salako delve into the vinyl release of Pink Floyd's iconic 1971 live recorded set, Cannes' opening film Partir un Jour, and the latest gory Final Destination instalment.
Until next time, here are this week's highlights.
New Nordic. Cuisine, Aesthetics and Place
Where: The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (Oslo, Norway)
When: 23 May - 14 September 2025
Pioneered by prestigious restaurants like Noma, New Nordic Cuisine took off in the mid 2000s — and re-shaped Europe's culinary landscape. At its core is a focus on minimalism through fresh, seasonal ingredients, which in turn became a distinctive Scandinavian aesthetic found in everything from architecture to art.
A new exhibition at Oslo's National Museum of Art explores the movements' cultural roots and evolutions, featuring more than 500 artworks, photographs and objects from renowned Nordic restaurants and contemporary artists like Olafur Eliasson. It's a delicious deep dive into the intersection between food, art and environment.
Karl Stengel's debut solo UK show
Where: Oxo Tower (London, UK)
When: 21 May - 30 May 2025
Hungarian artist Karl Stengel was one of the most prolific yet overlooked post-war artists. To mark what would have been his 100th year since birth, various exhibitions have been paying tribute across the continent — from Florence to, now, London. This one is particularly special as it's also the UK's first ever solo Stengel show, offering a rare opportunity to discover the breadth of the artist's dynamic creations, including 24 paintings, works on paper and mixed-media compositions spanning the 1970s to 2010s. They're powerfully introspective, reflecting both Stengel's personal experiences and the evolving artistic world around him.
Disco: I'm Coming Out
Where: Philharmonie de Paris (France)
When: Until 17 August 2025
Disco is uh, uh, uh, uh, stayin' alive, with this dazzling exploration of the movement's cultural origins. From its roots in Black America to the rainbow-lit dance floors of the 80s, disco's vibrant energy may have subsided, but still speaks to contemporary culture — especially within the dance hall spaces of LGBTQ+ communities. The Philharmonie de Paris highlights this through an immersive (and suitably groovy) display of costumes, instruments, objects, and more! Ain't no stoppin' us now, we're on the move to see this one asap.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Where: Royal Hospital Chelsea (London, UK)
When: 20 - 24 May 2025
Nothing screams spring like perusing the perfectly manicured grounds of the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show. Often referred to as the 'World Cup of gardening', it's a lavish display of florals, cutting-edge garden designs and products — although perhaps most notable for its royal attendees. This year's theme, titled 'Your Space, Your Story', celebrates gardens as spaces for individual expression, while sustainability (including innovations involving AI) will also play a big role.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Where: UK cinemas
When: 21 May 2025
Your mission, should you choose to accept it… is to go to the cinema this Friday for the latest (and possibly final ever) Mission: Impossible movie. Having premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last week, Tom Cruise returns as death-defying secret agent Ethan Hunt, who this time is attempting to save the world from a rogue AI named the Entity. As always, you can expect plenty of nerve-shredding stunts, blockbuster spectacle and, indeed, a few cliché lines. If you needed a franchise refresher — here's our ranking of all the previous films. Stay tuned to Euronews Culture for David Mouriquand's full review.
Cannes Film Festival
Where: Cannes, France
When: Until 24 May 2025
As the Cannes Film Festival enters its second week, there's lots to keep an eye out for — including the upcoming premieres of Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind and Julia Ducournau's Alpha (find out more about the French filmmaker here). Meanwhile, other highly-anticipated contenders have already screened, including Lynne Ramsay's Die, My Love and Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme. Here's a reminder of the programme in full — and our favourite Palme d'Or winners from the past 25 years.
Rick and Morty season 8
Where: Max
When: 26 May 2025
Wubba lubba dub dub - the popular Adult Swim cartoon returns for more intergalactic adventures involving Rick, an alcohol-guzzling scientific genius, and his highly strung grandson Morty. Beloved for its comedic absurdity and dark philosophical undertones, the show has built a cult following that doesn't seem to have diminished — despite its co-creator and star Justin Roiland being dropped in 2023. In fact, the show is currently locked into a 10 season contract (so won't be leaving our universe any time soon).
Sparks: Mad!
When: 23 May 2025
Before Chappell Roan was being called "your favourite artist's artist", Sparks were. Throughout the course of their 50+ year career, the American band has remained a cult gem of the pop world, notable for their playful experimentation and Anglophile-inspired idiosyncrasies. They're also nothing if not prolific — the release of 'Mad!' marks their 28th studio album, which includes sweet synthy singles like "My Devotion" and shows the band's continued ability to evolve.
PS: For those curious to know more about the band, we'd recommend watching Edgar Wright's 2021 documentary The Sparks Brothers!
Morcheeba: Escape The Chaos
When: 23 May 2025
Another album to look out for this week — the return of trip hop band Morcheeba. Founded in 1995 by Skye Edwards and brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey, 'Escape The Chaos' is a nostalgic pastiche that pays tribute to their 30-year career.
In reference to lead single 'We Live And Die', Edwards told Rolling Stone: "[It's] about my duration in the band and the music world and life in general. The lines become blurred after all this time. In a way, it's a homage to the thirty years of being in Morcheeba which is 60% of my existence.'
Bonus suggestions: Skunk Anansie's 'The Painful Truth' and our top ten live albums.