Weekend calendar: National Day parades, Romanian films, St Andrew fair, Christmas markets, and more
The weekend of the parliamentary elections is filled with events, including Romania’s National Day on December 1st and the military parades traditionally held for the occasion. St Andrew is celebrated over the weekend and a dedicated fair takes place in the capital, several museums offer free admission, while Bucharest, Timișoara, and Brașov, among others, also open their Christmas markets.
In Bucharest:
National Day Parade
December 1
The parade starts at 10:00 in Arcul de Triumf Square. Several TV stations will broadcast the parade, including Pro TV and the public television TVR. Parades will also take place in Iași, Alba-Iulia, and other major cities in the country.
December 1 @ Elvire Popesco
December 1
The cinema at the French Institute in Bucharest screens a selection of recent Romanian films, including Moromeții 3, Three Kilometers to the End of the World, and The New Year That Never Came. More details here.
Free admission at museums
December 1
Several museums in Bucharest have announced a free-entry National Day, among them the National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR), the National Museum of History of Romania (MNIR), and the Museum of Maps.
Târgul de Sfântul Andrei/ St Andrew Fair
November 29 – December 1
The Museum of the Romanian Peasant (MTR) hosts this event, where creators come with a variety of traditional products, from homeware and clothing to food. More info here.
Bucharest Christmas Market
November 29 – December 26
Held in Bucharest's Constitution Square, the event awaits visitors with activities and attractions dedicated to the entire family. It features a 30-meter-tall Christmas tree, a craft and creation fair, carol concerts, and international music, among others. More details here.
West Side Christmas Market in Bucharest
November 28- December 27
For the fourth year in a row, the Drumul Taberei Park in Bucharest's District 6 hosts the event set to feature fairytale houses, a Christmas tree, fairytale characters, and more. Further details here.
Christmas Story Fair
Until December 29
This is the ninth edition of the event held at Bucharest’s Children Opera and the program covers 112 performances, interactive activities and workshops designed for young visitors. Children and families can participate in creative sessions at the Elves' Workshops, a VR Adventure in Santa's Sleigh, Santa's Sleigh Flight, the Time Tunnel, Grinch's Grotto, the Magic Elevator, or the Toy Carousel and the Magic Wheel. More details on the program are available here.
Garden of Lights: Beauty and the Beast
Until March 2
The Botanical Garden hosts another edition of the Garden of Lights event, this time with the theme of Beauty and the Beast. More details here.
Art Safari
Until December 15
This edition of the event celebrates women that have made a significant contribution to Romanian art and culture, among them Queen Marie and artist Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck. One show is dedicated to German photographer Sibylle Bergemann, while another features the emerging generation of artists. More details here.
Art films @ MNAR
Until December
A series of documentaries on well-known names of art will be screened at the Auditorium Hall of the National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR). More here.
Mnemonics [back to the future]
The exhibition, occasioned by GAEP’s 10th anniversary, brings together new works by all the 14 artists that the gallery represents or collaborates with on a long-term basis. More details here.
In the country:
The Lights of Caravaggio. The Beginning of Modernity in European Painting, Masterpieces from the Roberto Longhi Collection
Until February 28
The exhibition, which aims to highlight Caravaggio's influence among his contemporaries and his contribution to European Baroque, includes one painting by Caravaggio, alongside works by artists such as Lorenzo Lotto, Juseppe Ribera, Gian Battista Caracciolo, Dirck van Baburen, Mattia Preti, Gerrit Van Honthorst. More details here.
UnWorlding
Until March 1
This exhibition by artistic duo Anca Benera and Arnold Estefán, the Romanian artists based in Vienna, is open at the Art Encounters Foundation in Timișoara. More here.
Timișoara Christmas Market
November 30 – January 5
The market is scheduled to open on Saint Andrew's Day, when the festive lights will be lit in the city center. Close to 100 sellers have registered to bring goodies, decorations, and many other presents to the event. More here.
Sibiu Christmas Market
Until January 5
This year’s event, entitled Christmas Unboxed, is held in several venues in Sibiu. The city’s Grand Square, under a canopy of tens of thousands of lights, hosts are the 22-meter Ferris wheel and the 600-square-meter natural ice rink, while the Lower Square hosts Santa’s Land, a venue dedicated to children, and In Huet Square visitors will be able to enjoy a walk under an installation of illuminated trees.More details here.
Craiova Christmas Market
Until January 5
Visitors can see Santa's sleigh and elevator, meet Beauty and the Beast, and explore the houses inspired by sci-fi movies. More info here.
Planet Christmas
Until January 1
The Unirii Square in Cluj hosts this fair dedicated to the winter holidays. More details here.
Brașov Christmas Market
November 29 – January 7
The city’s Piața Sfatului host the event, which boasts a 29-meter tall Christmas tree.
More on the various Christmas markets in Bucharest and in the country here.
editor@romania-insider.com
