Chocolate festivals, Margazhi banquets, stand-up comedy shows: Chennai offers plenty of exciting activities for you this weekend!

This week, look forward to Zuka’s five-day Annual Chocolate Festival, a performance by rock band RJD at Black Orchid restobar, Flavours of Margazhi fest at The Westin Chennai Velachery and more. Take a look at the full list below:

Movie premiere
December 17 | PVR

Directed by Mano Ve Kannathasan, Irudhi Pakkam revolves around the incidents that unfold after a young woman is killed at her apartment. What initially appeared to be a simple murder case for the investigation team soon turns out to be a highly interconnected web of secrets and lies. A whodunit-slash-mystery thriller, the film stars Amrutha Srinivasan, Rajesh Balachandran and Vignesh Shanmugam. In theatres.

Death by chocolate
December 18 | T Nagar

Much like in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you too could enter a world of chocolate and relish everything from pralines, ganaches, truffles, tarts and celebration cakes. Zuka’s five-day Annual Chocolate Festival offers a massive variety of desserts and pastries for chocoholics, as well as their new additions for the festive season: Christmas Yule Logs and Swedish Christmas Cakes. On till December 22.

Rock on
December 17 | RA Puram

Rock band RJD — which comprises Ritesh John Dharmaraj (vocals and guitar), Jitesh James Dharmaraj (bass), Siddharth Kumar (keyboard), Godfray Immanuel (lead guitar) and Vinay Ramakrishnan (drums) — will be performing a medley of tracks across different eras and genres at Black Orchid restobar. 8 pm. +919176477647.

Margazhi banquet
December 18 | Velachery

Celebrate the festive season of margazhi with The Westin Chennai Velachery’s culinary fiesta. Titled Flavours of Margazhi, this specially curated menu at Madras Kitchen Company gives a fine-dining spin to canteen-style delicacies. Expect dishes like Ragi Uthappam, Kanchipuram Idli, Vazhaipoo Vadai, Ven Pongal, Rava Kesari, Poha Bisibelle Bhaath, Kara Boondi and Paruppu Payasam, to name a few. Also on December 19. 5 pm to 11 pm. +918939892001.

Barrel of laughs
December 18 | Adyar

Chennaiites, are you up for an hour of non-stop laughter? Comic Vivek Muralidharan is back with a live solo stand-up comedy act to entertain you. Look forward to fresh jokes, anecdotes and life stories on relatable topics, all discussed at the Backyard. The comic has previously covered topics like Indian politics, math, the daily struggles of engineers and dating. 6.30 pm. INR 299. BookMyShow.com

Shoppers delight
December 17 | Alwarpet

If you’re looking for artisanal gifting options, you could head to Samasta. Their latest pop-up features brands like Oh Scrap! Madras (décor), Essence of Earth (homemade soaps, candles) and more. Between INR 250 and INR 2,000.

Techno night
December 17 | Royapettah

Mount Road Social is all set to offer an immersive music experience with hypnotic, pulsating beats and introduce you to a new realm of electronic music. BLOT! aka Gaurav Malaker and Avinash Kumar, a duo well-known for electronic music and mixed media, will be performing at the restobar this weekend, guaranteeing an epic party experience. 8 pm. +918657989073. INR 299 onwards. skillboxes.com

Pot luck!
December 18 | Kilpauk

Learn basic pottery techniques from artist, potter, painter and photographer Pavithra Raghu at this event. What’s more, you can take home the Christmas ornaments and other goodies that you make. On till December 25. 4 pm to 8 pm. DM on Instagram: @iam_pavithraraghu or WhatsApp: +919710911055.