Christmas is still over 6 weeks away, but the festive releases are already starting to defrost with Ebenezer, Ti West’s new “A Christmas Carol” adaptation.
Meanwhile, for U2 fans Christmas has come early as the band release their 16th studio album, ‘Carnaval De Luz’, with an upcoming studio tour to follow.
We’re also being treated to the opening of two new landmark exhibitions on the history of street art and Brussels’ turn-of-the-20th-century art, in London and Paris respectively.
Other added bonuses not mentioned below include ‘Arcana Borealis – Northern Women and Esotericism’ at the Ateneum Art Museum in Finland and a doggy-friendly exhibition on dachshunds at The Kunsthalle Bremen in Germany.
Finally, if the darker days are getting you down, part 2 of hit series Rivals is the perfect antidote: pure ’80s pomp and scandal that will take your mind off the impending list of presents to buy.
Exhibitions
Bruxelles 1900
When: 10 November 2026 – 25 April 2027
Where: Petit Palais (Paris, France)
In around 1893, architect Victor Horta built the Hôtel Tassel (Tassel House) — a masterpiece of design that marked the foundation of Art Nouveau. It’s an aesthetic that quickly spread all across Europe, but its first flourishes in Brussels are a key focus of the Petit Palais’ new Bruxelles 1900 exhibition. Featuring over 250 works on display, it also highlights Art Deco, comics, illustration and photography; all of the artistic mediums and movements that defined the city’s vibrant and influential turn-of-the-20th-century art scene.
Beyond the Streets
When: 11 November 2026 – 5 May 2027
Where: Saatchi Gallery (London, UK)
As far back as ancient Egypt, versions of street art have always existed. The medium as we know it today of urban graffiti, however, took off in ’60s and ’70s New York and Philadelphia, while artists like Gérard Złotykamień contributed to its rise across Europe. The Saatchi Gallery is digging into this storied history with one of the biggest and most diverse exhibitions on international street culture, bringing together over 100 creators and spanning six decades. Highlights include a large-scale recreation of a graffitied New York subway carriage, a spray paint infinity room and various hip-hop ephemera. Find out more here.
Bonus highlight: Artist Mire Lee has transformed Oude Kerk, Amsterdam’s oldest church, into a striking kinetic art installation with steel and slimy-looking silicone. It’s open from 13 November.
Movies
Ebenezer
Where: Cinemas
When: 13 November
Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a staple of the festive season and has spawned hundreds of on-screen adaptations. Everyone has their favourite (author note: I vote for The Muppet’s version) but still, new ones keep coming and the latest is from Ti West, the American director best known for his X trilogy and other works in the horror genre. For this reason, Ebenezer leans into the story’s darker, gothic elements in a Tim Burton-esque way, with Johnny Depp playing the titular lead, Rupert Grint (Happy Potter) as Bob Cratchit, and Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings) as Marley. It’s family-friendly fantasy that signals we’ve truly entered the countdown to Christmas!
Bonus highlights: Last week was a big week for movie releases, with Oscars favourite Wild Horse Nine and Sylvestor Stallone biopic I Play Rocky hitting the big screen. Fans of city-destroying reptiles should also catch Godzilla Minus Zero.
TV series
Rivals (season 2 part 2)
Where: Disney+
When: 11 November
The salacious 80s melodrama of Rivals is back for part 2 of its second season. Based on a 1988 novel of the same name by Jilly Cooper, it follows a rivalry between a former Olympian/ Tory politician (Rupert Campbell-Black) and a former TV mogul (David Tennant), whose fight for control over a TV empire becomes an allegory for the decade’s debauchery. The upcoming episodes take things to their climax, with drama escalating and character’s psyches unravelling in the aftermath of a fatal car crash. It will also see the story depart from its original source material, setting things up for a now-greenlit third season.
Bonus highlight: David Thelis stars as the legendary literary detective in Sherlock & Daughter, a new HBO adaptation that’s streaming now.
Music
U2: Carnaval De Luz
When: 13 November
After an almost ten year hiatus, Irish rockers U2 are back with their 16th studio album: ‘Carnaval de Luz’. It marks 50 years since the band first formed in Dublin, with an eclectic 12-track collection that’s fittingly reflective, matured, and at times existential. There’s also a notable collaboration with the late country queen Dolly Parton, whose duet on ‘torn’ ended up being her final ever recording. Another highlight includes ‘The Mirror Maker’, a song written entirely about the Spanish singer Rosalía which, according to producer Jacknife Lee, took nearly 200 takes to get right. But eventually they found what they were looking for — hopefully fans will too.
Bonus highlight: For a less mainstream vibe, California indie band Wavves are releasing their 11th studio album, ‘Cherry Soda’, on 13 November 2026.