Weekend trending in Bucharest, April 18-19: Italy in Cotroceni, flamenco at Sala Radio, Eurovision at the Roman Arenas and Haddaway on Pipera Avenue
The weekend of April 18-19 in Bucharest does not have a clear theme or a main event, but it oscillates between nostalgia, classic forms of going out and a very energetic live scene. It's a pretty telling mix for the way the city looks now – fragmented, eclectic, but functional, to some extent.
For a more relaxed stop before the events, Nori si Cafea (Traian 202) is the kind of place that works well, both for good coffee and to stay longer without pressure. Opened at the end of 2025, the cafe is designed as a friendly and relaxed space – pet friendly and child friendly, with board games and an atmosphere that encourages listening to stories or a remote work session. In addition, the prices are noticeably more affordable than in many specialty cafes in the city (a cappuccino starts at 10 lei). Hours are Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and weekends 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., and the space is cozy enough to keep coming back to your list of “neighborhood” places to return to.
Piațeta Cotroceni (Zării 22-24) is a fairly new entry on the list of places to go out in Bucharest. And it is the terrace that promises the vibe of going out in the city away from the Old Center or the already crowded Calea Victoriei. The space here functions as a relaxed meeting point without pretensions: pizza, pasta, a glass of wine or prosecco, all designed for sitting on the terrace, not for formal dinners. It's the kind of place that capitalizes well on the quiet atmosphere of the neighborhood and is more suited to a long evening with friends than a quick exit.
event
Saturday starts early for those who choose a more sedentary option. At Sala Radio (Str. Berthelot 60–64), from 17:30 (admission 17:00), Flamenco Weekend opens the series of four performances scheduled during this interval. Maria Rubí returns to Bucharest after the sold-out performances in the fall, with a format that relies heavily on intensity, but without trying to deviate from the pattern of flamenco concerts. Tickets start at 42 lei, and the public is usually a constant one, formed around these periodic returns.
From 19:00, the city begins to divide between all kinds of spaces dedicated to several types of public. At Sala Palatului (Str. Ion Câmpineanu 28), Andra takes the stage with “Traditional 3: Moștenirea”, a concert added after the April 19 date quickly sold out. It's a project that continues an already successful formula – the reinterpretation of folklore in a format accessible to a wide audience, but also brings the Advahov Brothers Orchestra on stage. Tickets start at 139 lei, and the organizers insist on respecting the start time, seats being reserved until 15 minutes after the start.
In the same time slot, but in a much smaller setting, the Anglican Church (Str. Alexandru D. Xenopol 2) offers the organ concert “Mărturii de peste veacuri”, from 19:00 (access 18:30). Organist Cristian Petculescu builds a path through several musical eras – from the Renaissance to modernism – alternating interpretation with explanation. It's one of those events where the context becomes part of the show. Tickets start at 30 lei.
For those who choose the area of club concerts, Saturday night has some categorical options. At the Encore Club (Splaiul Independentei 311), access is from 19:30, with Zgripsorum scheduled at 20:00 and Warhammer at 21:15. The Athens-based band comes after a consistent run on international stages and is preparing the release of a new album, while Zgripsorum remains one of the stable presences of the local melodic death metal scene. The ticket costs 63 lei.
From 19:00, at Quantic (Șoseaua Grozăvești 82), the Wacken Warm-Up Party takes place, an event connected to the international series “Party ON 'till Wacken!”, organized simultaneously in 35 countries, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Wacken Open Air. Bands that represented Romania in the Wacken Metal Battle finals will take the stage – among them Dirty Shirt, E-an-na and An Theos. The ticket is 130 lei.
Also in the live area, but with greater exposure, the Romanian Arenas host the Eurovision Pre-Party 2026, an event that is part of the European promotion circuit before the contest in May. It is one of the few occasions when the local public can see live artists from the current Eurovision edition, in a collective concert format. Access is 108 lei. Alexandra Căpitănescu, the representative of Romania, will be on stage, of course.
In parallel, Control Club proposes a night built around the bass music scene. The event starts with a conference at 19:30, followed by the club night at 21:00, split between the two club rooms. The line-up includes international and local artists, and the 50 lei ticket covers the entire program.
Expirat (Halele Carol) goes in a different direction with “SAD! • Emo Rap Night”, Saturday from 20:00 (entrance 19:00). It's an event built around a repertoire already established in the online environment, which has migrated to clubs. Entrance is 60 lei.
Towards the end of the evening, Cosmo Dome (Sosseaua Pipera 48) brings one of the most recognizable appearances of the weekend. From 21:00, Haddaway takes the stage as part of the Retro Love concept, in a concert that is part of the promotion tour of the album “The Sun”. It is not only a return to the stage, but also an attempt to reposition an artist strongly associated with the 90s in a current context. Layzee (ex Mr. President) completes the program. The ticket is 89 lei.
For those who prefer more relaxed formulas, at Trei Bețivi Bar, on Saturday night, the Moon Chorizo concert works on the “pay what you feel” principle, in an area of stoner rock and grunge.
Sunday comes with slightly more chill activities. At Palais Ghica Victoria (Str. Nicolae Iorga 1), there are one-hour guided tours, organized in several sessions, with groups limited to 30 people. Access costs 160 lei, and the route includes both the interiors of the palace and the garden. It is one of those spaces rarely open to the public, and interest in such visits has grown noticeably in recent years.
At the same time, on Bd. Kiseleff, the Bucharest Street Food Festival occupies the area around the Rond, throughout the weekend (April 18–19), with no entrance fee. VAMA performs on Saturday night, and Moonlight Breakfast takes the stage on Sunday.
On Sunday evening he returns to the concerts. At Quantic (Șoseaua Grozăvești 82), from 8:00 p.m. (access 6:00 p.m.), Phoenix performs the “Tamara” concert, organized on the very day Nicu Covaci was born. The event is also a tribute, but it also remains a classic live concert, with guest Mircea Baniciu and Sanctuar opening. The ticket is 145 lei.
Also on Sunday, from 21:00, Hard Rock Cafe (32 Kiseleff Street) brings Andrei Ursu in a concert with a formula closer to the public, specific to the space. Tickets are between 109 and 159 lei in advance, depending on positioning.
Control Club also adds to the evening program an episode of the SWORDS series – Spoken Word Sessions, a format that has begun to build a stable audience around performance poetry. From the time announced by the organizers (in line with the club schedule), Mina Decu, Dana Voicu and Ana Zett take the stage, in a show moderated by Cosmin Perța, where the texts are designed for speaking, not for reading. The evening is completed by an audio-visual set signed by Iulian Morar, which functions more as an extension of the spoken word moments than as a simple background.
Theater & film
In the theater area, on Sunday, April 19, from 19:00, Teatrul In Culise (Str. Alecu Russo 12) proposes “Raskolnikov”, a focused adaptation of “Crime and Punishment”, built as a psychological thriller of 1 hour and 30 minutes. The show works on a simple device: three actors (Nicholas Bohor, Alex Vlad and Ioana Nichita) who reconstruct the inner universe of the character; and on the idea that the investigation gradually becomes a confrontation with one's own conscience. The direction is signed by Ionuț Iftimiciuc, and the editing avoids the classic illustration in favor of a continuous tension between the character and his own projections. Tickets start at 85 lei.
On Saturday, April 18, also from 19:00 (access 18:50), at POINT (Str. General Eremia Grigorescu 10), there will be one of the premiere performances of the show “Vanya”, directed and performed by Sorin Miron. It is a one-man show based on the text of Simon Stephens, which rewrites the Chekhovian universe in a contemporary form, in which a single actor passes through eight characters. The staging works as an acting exercise in itself, but also as a direct reinterpretation. The show is not recommended for under 14s and tickets are 106 lei.
Also on Sunday, April 19, the Muzeul Tăranului Cinema hosts the Bucharest stop of the Alpine Film Festival Caravan, an event that brings to the capital a selection of films dedicated to mountain culture. The program starts at 11:00 and continues throughout the day, with four screenings – three Romanian productions and an award-winning international title, “Champions of the Golden Valley”, scheduled from 19:00 – each followed by discussions with guests from the area of mountaineering and mountain culture. It's a format close to that of the festival in Brașov, but compressed into one day, with an emphasis on the direct meeting between the audience and those involved in these stories. Tickets cost 40 lei for a screening or 120 lei for access for the whole day. With Radu Restivan, the protagonist of the documentary “Radu, are you ok?!”, which opens the event in Bucharest, Hotnews.ro spoke and learned more about what it was like to make this original documentary film in which he is also the main subject.
In the mall cinema area, the weekend offer is very diverse, from family entertainment to political drama and romantic comedy.
“Heidi – Rescue of the Lynx” is the updated version of a classic story, moved to a more contemporary register. Heidi, here an eight-year-old girl, ends up saving a laughing baby threatened by the interests of a developer, and the narrative thread combines adventure with a fairly straightforward ecological theme. The film primarily works for the young audience, but also retains the recognizable elements of the original story – the relationship with the grandfather and the idea of community connected to nature.
“La grazia” comes in a completely different register: a political and personal film at the same time, centered on an Italian president at the end of his term, faced with two pardon requests that become moral dilemmas. The story revolves around hard-to-justify but inevitable decisions and how they seep into private life. The style is recognizably Sorrentino's, sober, with an emphasis on inner tension rather than action.
Instead, “You, Me & Tuscany” follows the classic romantic comedy formula with a premise built on a lie that spirals out of control. The main character, Anna, arrives in a villa in Tuscany and improvises an identity that traps her in an increasingly complicated situation, especially with the appearance of family and a potential love interest.
