Trending weekend in Bucharest, February 7-8: International mulled wine tour, “Banksy from Romania” exhibition, Delia and Bendeac on the big screens
It's still early February, but we'll have a snow-free weekend with positive temperatures, cloudy skies and rain. It will also be two days where many different events are piled up at the same time. We have small, neighborhood initiatives, cultural events and concerts that expect a large audience. So here is the offer.
In Cotroceni there is the perfect place where specialty coffee meets childhood with feet in the sand. It is called, Dune Cotroceni and is open in a corner of One Cotroceni Park, on Strada Sergent Nuțu Ion 44. The attraction is a sand area where the little ones can build castles or the other two areas where children can play with remote control cars, while the adults sit quietly at the table with a perfect flat white or a long black or even a craft beer.
In Vilacrosse Passage, it opened recently Wei Ramen Universe (Calea Victoriei 16–20), which proposes a space that refers directly to the narrow alleys of Tokyo, where small restaurants follow each other next to each other. In fact, the first Wei Ramen was opened in Cluj, where it enjoyed enormous success, and that's how it ended up in Bucharest. The restaurant has a dense and busy decor, complete with references to anime and manga culture, from posters and figurines to arcade games and themed costumes. Beyond the decor, the menu remains focused on ramen, which is the central element, with an emphasis on Tonkotsu, along with several starter options such as takoyaki, kimchi or poke bowls. Reservations are not accepted, and on weekends you'll be surprised to see the queues for ramen here.
At Corks Cozy Bar (Băcani 1), Sunday takes place The International Mulled Wine Toura tasting event that proposes a passage through several European and South American recipes, associated with simple pairing dishes. Participants can taste versions of mulled wine inspired by France, Argentina, Austria, Italy, Sweden and Germany, each accompanied by a specific dish, from camembert and empanadas to currywurst or gingerbread. The tasting is guided by sommelier Marius Gîrlea and includes both an explanatory and an interactive component, with a vote for the most appreciated recipe of the evening. Tickets cost 160 lei online and 180 lei at the door, and the event is aimed at an audience interested in thematic tastings, without the need for advanced wine knowledge.
event
On Saturday afternoon, on Panait Iatropol 4, the heated terrace of Throwback II Food and Stories hosts an event organized by CotroShare, centered on the use of items that can be borrowed from the community catalog.
Between 15:00 and 20:00 there are workshops dedicated to the preparation of vegetable milk, fermented yogurt and ice cream, but also a zero waste workshop for shopping and household use, where participants work with sewing machines and recycled materials. Each workshop has a limited number of six places and the focus is on practical work and the idea of reuse.
At the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, the “Urban Roots” exhibition can be visited this weekend, signed by the artist ORHAN, known for his street art works. Open until February 15 in the Acvariu Hall, the exhibition proposes a reinterpretation of the symbols of the Romanian village through a contemporary visual language, located at the intersection between the icon on the glass and the aesthetics of graffiti.
The ten exhibited works start from customs and scenes of rural life, treated with discreet irony and without nostalgia, in an approach that seeks bridges between tradition and the present. HotNews spoke with the artist who is also called “Banksy of Romania”, about the messages he wants to convey, but also about the interactions with citizens and authorities.
Also on Saturday, Sala Palatului once again enters the circuit of pop concerts, with the arrival of the XLOV band in Bucharest. The concert is part of the “LOVE & U” tour, and the remaining available tickets are from the General Access category, at the price of 200 lei plus taxes.
Expired Halele Carol hosts the Feed the Flame Festival on Saturday and Sunday, dedicated to waacking. The public can witness live dance battles, held in an open setting, with the participation of dancers from several countries. Tickets cost 50 lei for one day or 75 lei for a two-day pass, and the festival functions both as a show and as a meeting point for an already well-established street dance community.
Saturday night continues with more musical options. At The Pub – University, Eric Sardinas, one of the most spectacular contemporary blues-rock guitarists, takes the stage at Transilvania Blues Nights, in a concert that marks his return to Bucharest after more than a decade. Access is from 6:00 p.m., the concert starts at 8:00 p.m., and tickets cost 150 lei at the box office and 180 lei afterwards.
In parallel, Chapter XV takes place at Quantic Club, with Zomboy and a special NextLevel edition, dedicated to bass music, with access from 10:00 p.m.
H Brewery marks Delia's birthday with a special concert, built around the idea of the anniversary, but without departing from the established format of the artist's shows. Public access is from 17:00, and the concert starts at 19:00. Tickets are available in three categories, priced between 89 and 199 lei, all including a seat at the table.
Also on Saturday night, but much later, Encore Club hosts Mosh Tunez, an event dedicated to hardcore, punk, hip-hop and metal music. From 23:00, Desvalido (Take No More) takes control of the playlist, in a club format aimed at the audience familiar with the mosh and pit area. Tickets cost 15 lei, to which are added the ticketing fees for online purchases through iabilet, the same price being valid at the entrance, within the limit of available seats.
On Sunday, February 8, the concert agenda remains very active. The Mircea Baniciu & Band concert takes place at the Hard Rock Cafe, addressed to an audience familiar with the artist's repertoire.
Back at Quantic, Monkey3, the band from Lausanne, Switzerland, active since 2001 and known for combining stoner and prog in an instrumental formula, arrives in Bucharest as part of the European tour “Welcome to the Machine”, in a concert starting at 19:00. Tickets are available for 85 lei at the box office and 100 lei on the day of the event.
Sala Radio hosts the Platonic Band anniversary concert, which marks 30 years of activity of the band led by guitarist Nicu Patoi. The event starts at 19:30 and is built around the band's original repertoire, where rock with complex rhythmic structures meets jazz and improvisation. The concert accompanies the release of a double anniversary album and is addressed to an audience familiar with the Romanian music scene of the last decades.
The comedy area is represented by shows from The Fool. On Saturday afternoon there is a stand-up show with Anisia, Mane Voicu, Serghei and Gabriel Dumitriu, and on Sunday, “Happily Ever After?” proposes an interactive format about relationships, with audience participation. Access is made before the start of the performances, according to the rules of the club. Serghei and I spoke more extensively in an exclusive interview for Hotnews.ro about why it is healthy to make fun of politics.
On Sunday, Sala Palatului hosts the musical “Invizibilii”, an original Romanian production, recommended for children over six years old. The show, lasting approximately two hours, brings classic literary characters to the stage and focuses on the relationship between children and reading, in a contemporary musical theater format. Before the premiere of this musical, I spoke with the director Claudia Ciobanu, about this play, based on the book by the writer Ioana Pârvulescu, which wants to take both parents and children off their phones.
And, last but not least, also on Sunday, from 17:00, Lloyd's Comedy Club hosts “Donald Trump vs Donald Trump vs Romania”, an interactive comedy show that relies on parody and absurdity. The show, billed as “in the American language”, directly engages the audience and is filmed, with viewers agreeing to this by purchasing a ticket. The price of a ticket is 30 lei, and the format is in the area of experimental comedy, with an emphasis on interaction and improvisation, rather than classic stand-up.
Theater & film
On Saturday, the ACT Theater plays “Home at the Zoo“, by Edward Albee, in a staging signed by Silviu Debu, which combines the classic text “The Zoo Story” (1958) with the one-act play “Home Life” (2004). The show, with Ionuț Grama, Ada Condeescu and István Téglás, has a duration of one hour and 40 minutes and is recommended for audiences over 16 years old. The story first follows the seemingly peaceful life of Peter and his wife, Ann, before reaching the decisive meeting in the park, where latent tensions come to the surface. The production explores recurring themes at Albee – isolation, lack of communication and power relations between people – in a sober register, with accents of dark humor. Tickets cost 70 lei, and the show is part of the ACT Theater's line of productions that rely on text and acting, without other scenographic artifices.
In terms of new movies appearing this weekend in cinemas in Romania, we have at least 3 interesting premieres.
“City Boys: Golden Boyz” marks the transition of the universe known from the series to the big screen, in a comedy that keeps its characters and self-deprecating humor, but tries to expand the stake. Roby Roberto, Malone, Gina Felea, Dorian, Daniela and Renatta become involved in a plan that tests their friendships and the way they understand success. Directed by Mihai Bendeac, the film explores, beyond jokes, the theme of authenticity in a context where money and fame seem solutions fast.
“Whistle” proposes a horror story centered on a group of high school students who discover an ancient artifact, an Aztec death whistle, which they quickly learn is more than just a decorative object. Its sound reveals their future deaths, and the film builds tension around the characters' attempts to understand and possibly change what seems already established. The stakes are not just survival, but also how fear alters relationships between teenagers.
“Stray Kids: The dominate Experience” is a documentary dedicated to fans of the K-pop group, focusing on the sold-out concerts held at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, as part of the DominATE world tour. The film alternates footage from the stage with sequences from behind the scenes, offering insight into the logistical and emotional dimensions of such a tour. The result is more of a concert experience transposed to the screen than a classic biographical portrait.
