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

Hello, and happy August!

From Sydney Sweeney's controversial American Eagle advert, to a documentary about adult content creator Bonnie Blue, the internet has felt louder than ever with various celebrity controversies. But beyond that, life ticks on - and Freaky Friday sequels await.

If you're venturing to Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe, keep the new Andy Goldsworthy exhibit on your radar - a sensuous convergence of nature and art. Meanwhile, over in the beautiful Italian town of Monopoli, the 10th edition of Phest is about to begin. Exhibiting works from a range of artists across different mediums, the programme is rich with inspiring content that captures humanity from fascinating angles.

Other previously mentioned exhibitions that are still ongoing include Dolce & Gabbana's 'From the heart to the hands' exhibition in Rome, the Gianni Versace retrospective in London, and 'Safe Sex?' at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Until next time, here are this week's highlights.

Exhibitions

PhEST: International festival of photography and art

Where: Monopoli, Italy

When: 8 August - 16 November 

Hosted within the mesmeric Mediterranean setting of Monopoli, PhEST is one of the most exciting and diverse photography festivals in Europe. Now entering its 10th edition, it includes an extensive program of exhibitions, installations and residencies, all under the title 'This Is Us - A Capsule to Space'. Most exciting of all (for cinephiles, certainly) is its world premiere of a new photography exhibition by Greek Weird Wave director Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Lobster). Other notable highlights include Goya's Los Caprichos prints and Martin Parr's kitsch-hued exhibition 'Pleased to Meet You'.

Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years 

Where: Royal Scottish Academy (Edinburgh, Scotland) 

When: Until 2 November

Reed mace showers from a window light at the Royal Scottish Academy, where British artist Andy Goldsworthy is currently hosting a retrospective. Known for utilising natural materials in striking installations, over 200 of his works across five decades encompass the space to capture the cyclical fragility of the Earth - and our own fleeting time on it. It's also a rare opportunity to see them in a museum setting, with this the "most ambitious indoor exhibition of [Goldsworthy's] work ever attempted", according to National Galleries Scotland.

Bonus highlight: Visit the RA's annual Summer Exhibition - the world's oldest open submission art show - before it closes on 17 August 2025 (London, UK) 

Movies

Freakier Friday 

Where: European cinemas 

When: 8 August 

Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are back for more body swapping hijinks in a sequel to Mark Waters’ 2003 comedy Freaky Friday. “And how do you feel about that?” Well, the author of this agenda can only speak for herself, but she feels excited! For a certain demographic (millennial women that grew up on a Disney Channel diet), the first movie became a beloved comfort watch that encouraged dreams of starting a pop-punk band and getting blonde highlights. Whether this new iteration will capture that same 00’s zeitgeist is debatable, but it does look like silly fun.

This time, Anna (Lohan) swaps places with her step-daughter Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) - who she has a contentious relationship with - while Tess (Curtis) swaps with her granddaughter Harper (Julia Butters). In the lyrics of Pink Slip: "Round and round, here we go again."

Bonus highlight: Horror mystery Weapons, about a classroom of children that suddenly disappears, hits cinemas on the 8 August. Oh, and check out Luc Besson's latest take on Dracula in his (accidentally?) camp Dracula: A Love Tale. It's a mess, but an entertaining one.

TV series

Wednesday 

Where: Netflix

When: 6 August

The haunted halls of Nevermore Academy are calling as Tim Burton’s Wednesday returns to Netflix. Everybody's favourite deadpan goth girl, played to perfection with bratty charm by Jenna Ortega, faces a new set of supernatural mysteries alongside cameos from fellow Addams Family members Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Gomez (Luis Guzmán) and Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez). Its co-show runners have called it "darker and more complex" with nothing as it seems… Although some bad news: we’ll have to wait for a second part on 3 September. 

Bonus highlight: Ahead of its final season next year, Outlander’s prequel Blood of my Blood airs on 9 August (MGM+ in the UK)

Music

Ethel Cain: Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You

When: 8 August 

For the past six years, American musician Hayden Silas Anhedönia has performed under the moniker Ethel Cain. Over time, this fictional character has developed an intricate backstory, one with a world that's richly drawn through each new song. But now, with the release of 'Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You', Ethel Cain's journey comes to an end. A prequel to her 2022 debut 'Preacher's Daughter', Anhedönia told Popcast that this new album draws on her own “insecurities and frustrations and fears and inadequacies in love” and that it marked “officially closing” a chapter.

While we’ll miss the swollen gothic Americana of Cain’s world, we're excited to venture into it one last time. 

Bonus highlight: One of Europe’s largest music events, Sziget Festival returns from 6-11 August in Budapest, Hungary (following controversies over banning Kneecap).