Trending weekend in Bucharest, May 16-17: at which restaurant did the band Metallica eat, the White Night of Comedy, Eurovision and a movie about Putin at the cinema
We could say that this weekend Bucharest is divided between two different temptations: retreating to a historic building where artificial intelligence, democracy and human limits are talked about, or going out in a city that dances, listens to jazz or dnb, goes to stand-up until after midnight and then to a techno party until seven in the morning. But the truth is that you can reconcile them all and go from Gabriel Liiceanu to Deborah De Luca and from a jazz recital in a garden to a dnb party at the palace.
An essential piece of information in this context is also where you can drink a beer on the terrace for only 9 lei, not just this weekend, but the whole year 2026. It's happening at Retro Pub (Lizeanu 17). The special price is due to the fact that the pub is celebrating 9 years of existence.
The week that passed was marked by the Metallica concert at the National Arena, and the rockers also walked around the city, they didn't remain isolated in the hotel rooms until they went on stage. This is how James Hetfield and the boys dined at a very popular restaurant in Bucharest, but without plates.
“I understand that yesterday, at one point, at Bacania Veche – Delicatesse & Grădină in #Dacia 25, there was a bit of noise in the room, when the customers were caught eating at the same time as the guys from METALLICA! I'm sorry I wasn't there, to tell them that I really liked them in '99, when I saw them for the first time in Bucharest. And that, if I hadn't damn it, 25 years later, my oldest kid will see them, because that's how things are done, not by chance! It was also talked about on Radio ZU, in the morning, about how they drank beer at our place. I would have thanked them for all the music they gave us and for honoring a small family bistro… 🙂 But they really do things differently! Let's not forget the donation to Noi Facem Un Spital! Thank you guys!”, wrote Marius Tudosiei, the owner Băcănia Veche – Delicatessen & Garden (Dacia 25). If you want to follow in the footsteps of Metallica, go there on the weekend, especially since the menu on Saturday and Sunday will have seafood and other seaside dishes.
event
On Saturday morning, the conference series “About the world we live in”, organized by Humanitas, begins at the Athenaeum. The theme of this year's edition is artificial intelligence, discussed from different perspectives, from neuroscience to digital diplomacy and philosophy. The first conference, at 12:30, belongs to the German neurologist Manfred Spitzer, who talks about what artificial intelligence is and what it changes in everyday life. In the evening, from 18:30, Professor Corneliu Bjola discusses technology and democracy in a conference entitled “Brave New World 2.0”. Tickets cost 100 lei for each event.
Also on Saturday morning, from 11:00, the French Institute organizes MiniFrancoFest, a whole day dedicated to children and families. The program includes projections, games, workshops and an improvisation show. Access is based on a ticket (80 lei) and prior reservation for the workshops.
At the Map Museum, the “Jazz in the Garden” season begins, with a concert by the Sylvain Cossette Quintet. “The quintet proposes a modern, open jazz with varied influences and a special attention to detail and expressiveness. Each composition outlines its own identity, and the interpretation emphasizes both the dialogue between the instrumentalists and the freedom of improvisation, in a subtle balance between rigor and spontaneity”, write the organizers. The concert starts at 18:00, and tickets cost 20 lei.
On Calea Victoriei, the Hoinar festival continues with “Treasures II: When Jazz Took Over”, a traveling concert that reaches Green Hours and traces how American jazz changed European music between the wars and the urban culture of the era. In the program, the artists Sarah Gabriel, Verena Tönjes, Daria Tudor and Florian Mitrea will perform pieces by Gershwin, Nina Simone or Billie Holiday, in a 45-minute show with free entry.
Saturday night also brings one of the biggest concerts of the month by a local band. Subcarpathians release the new album, “Hora Exactă”, at Arenele Romane, in an outdoor concert to which SJS and Floare de Maidan are invited. It will definitely be a show and the Arenas will be filled to the brim, because Subcarpathia is a band that has a loyal and very large fan base. Tickets start at 129 lei.
For those who prefer small clubs to arenas, Trei Bețivi Bar has Victor Popescu's electronic project Mathmatrix on the menu on Saturday night. IDM, glitch and abstract rhythms, in a more special concert. For those who grew up with the underground electro scene in Bucharest, it's sure to be something they'll want to check off, because another stage name Mathmatrix evolved under is Brazda lui Novac. Entry is free, but upon entry you have the option of “pay as you feel”.
Also on Saturday, Fabrica organizes the final Eurovision Watch Party, an event dedicated to fans of Alexandra Căpitănescu and this competition. Romania has already made a good appearance at Eurovision and has a good chance to get on the podium. Almost a month before the competition, HotNews.ro spoke with Alexandra Căpitănescu, and the artist told about the song she represents Romania and how she prepares for this competition.
The night continues in two not necessarily opposite directions. At Bragadiru Palace, Quite Lucky brings Serum and Emily Makis for a night of drum & bass in a space where this kind of music rarely reaches. Tickets start at 100 lei.
At the same time, at the HALO Events Center, Deborah De Luca is coming for one of the big techno events of the spring. The Italian DJ already has a very loyal audience in Bucharest, and the organizers are counting on a long night, from 11:00 p.m. until the morning. Tickets cost between 99 and 199 lei, depending on access.
And at Club 99, we have an all night long event, because this is where the “White Night of Comedy” takes place, with live podcasts, improvisation and stand-up until 3 am. Teo, Vio, Costel, Maria Popovici, Dan Frînculescu or Gabi Dumitriu appear on the poster. The subscription for the whole night costs 315 lei.
On Sunday, from 12:30, the series of conferences at the Athenaeum ends with perhaps the most interesting dialogue of the edition. Mihnea Măruță talks about what remains human in a world shaped by artificial intelligence, and the discussion then continues with Gabriel Liiceanu. “Man as we know him, who is born and dies with his biological body, is about to be replaced with the evolution towards the singularity of artificial intelligence. What remains of us as human? Will we survive in some form? And if so, how would we know?”, the organizers write.
At the CNDB, the performance “Balkan Ballerinas” proposes a discussion about the body, Eastern European identity and stereotypes related to the Balkans, using contemporary dance, rave elements and references from local pop culture. The show starts at 19:30, and tickets cost between 20 and 40 lei.
On Sunday night, Quantic brings the Belgians Amenra, one of the cult bands of the European sludge and post-metal scene. The concert promises “controlled intensity and an almost ritualistically constructed show”. In the opening, he sings Am Fost La Munte and I liked it. Tickets cost 100 lei.
Sunday night marks the end of the weekend in two very different musical registers. At Expirat, Marko Glass and Bvcovia arrive with “BANDO TOUR”, in a trot concert, but which brings to the club the live energy already tested in big festivals. Tickets start from 107 lei.
In parallel, at Berăria H, Alina Eremia comes with a concert in a much more mainstream format, with pop hits (“Cum se face”, “Noi”, “Poartă-mă”, “Tatuaj”) that the public already knows by heart. Tickets cost between 49 and 119 lei.
And if after all that there is still room for one more concert, Hard Rock Cafe has Fabienne Erni, the voice of the band Eluveitie, in an acoustic show in an intimate but spectacular atmosphere on Sunday. Tickets cost 91 lei.
Film & theater
At the Art Theater, the sketch comedy show “But, if?” is played on Sunday. – a combination of black humor and satire on everyday life. Directed by Bogdan Untilă and built around four female characters, the show goes through absurd competitions between mothers, insecurities, strained friendships and questions that people usually avoid in real conversations. Tickets cost 75 lei.
The European Film Festival returns to Grădina cu Filme in an anniversary edition that marks 30 years of existence of one of the few local festivals dedicated to the idea of European cinema also seen as a space for dialogue. On Saturday, the “Excesses and Deaths” program offers a darker route, with films about contemporary anxieties, failures and personal frailties, including a short film by Călin Peter Netzer. On Sunday, the Climate Stories selection, curated by the British Council and the Doc Society, brings together some short films about the climate crisis. Screenings start at 8:30 p.m., and access to the garden starts at 7:30 p.m.
Among the film premieres sure to spark discussion is “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” the adaptation of Giuliano da Empoli's novel about the rise of Vladimir Putin in Russia in the 1990s and early 2000s. The film follows the story of a young director turned political strategist in the Kremlin's power circle, at a time when post-Soviet chaos is beginning to be replaced by the new order built around Putin (played by Jude Law). The film is already accompanied by controversies, being criticized for presenting Putin in a too humanized and, in some places, relatively favorable light.
