Germany's Top Five

An eye for the ladies. Düsseldorf's K20 gallery is showing a unique collection of works by Henri Matisse from his Nice period through the latter days of the painter’s life. The exhibition deals with one of Matisse's most popular themes: the female form. While there are bronze sculptures and drawings on show, the main focus of the exhibition are his paintings of women; whether reading, sleeping or daydreaming, wrapped in oriental materials or reclining on chaise longues. The collection has been compiled from international private collections and museums from Paris, London, Chicago, New York and St. Petersburg. The exhibition runs from October 29 to February 19, 2006.

Short attention span? The 21st International Short Film Festival in Berlin runs from November 1-6 and promises again to bring the best of the genre to large and appreciative crowds. With a number of venues scattered throughout the German capital, the festival this year focuses on films from Poland and Sweden. But this is far from all: There some 500 shorts to see from nearly 100 countries. There are also some special programs including the "Shorts for Kids" children's and youth film festival and a particular emphasis on animation from Asia as well as cartoons from France, Italy and Poland.

Get intimate with David Copperfield. What more can be said about the man who made the Statue of Liberty disappear, who emerged unscathed from a collapsed building and floated above the Grand Canyon? Well, it can be said that he is in Cologne at the Köln Arena from November 1 for two nights of magic and illusion in his new show "David Copperfield: An intimate evening of grand illusion." The illusion part goes without saying: The man's show has always been about blurring the boundaries of reality; but the intimate part of his new stage performance comes from the involvement of the audience. Copperfield will attempt to create the illusions his audience wants to see by public demand. Failing that, no doubt he will keep everyone happy by performing his party piece of diving through a solid steel wall.

A Hamburger homecoming. Since the first "Eigenarten" Festival in 2000, the intercultural event has gone from strength to strength. Bringing home many artists, dancers, filmmakers and writers, the festival welcomes back artistic Hamburgers from around the globe and gives them many stages on which to present their works. The idea is for those who have traveled the world to include aspects of the cultures they have experienced in their art and present it to the people of their city -- and visitors, of course. The diverse festival of arts runs from October 27 to November 9.

Fun with fancy food. Is it a restaurant? Is it a circus? Is it cabaret? Truth be told, Palazzo is all these things and more. A high-class menu created by Michelin-starred chef Harald Wohlfahrt provides gourmet opportunities for the guests in the big top as acrobats, jugglers, magicians, clowns, singers and comedian-waiters go by. Stuttgart is just one of the five German host cities for this culinary cabaret-traveling circus where fine food is accompanied by extravagant entertainment. It's not cheap entertainment in anyway, with tickets hovering around the 100-euros ($120) mark, but as the event lasts from November 3 until January 29 next year, you have plenty of time to save up. Palazzo is also taking place in Hamburg, Mannheim, Munich and Nuremberg.