The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Granted, there are costume shops in Cairo,
but they’re usually inconspicuous and you only hear about them through word of mouth
(or Cairo360’s 2010 Halloween Guide). While some people prefer to buy
material and have their own costumes made from scratch at the tailors, those
who don’t have the time and patience with a costume party coming up will like
Neverland.

We decided to visit the shop’s branch in
Maadi’s Badr City towers near Maadi City Centre/Carrefour, while other branches are  located in Zamalek and Nasr City. Neverland hosts a large collection of supposedly
scary but actually funny outfits for kids aged between three to fourteen years,
as well as a rather limited collection of adult costumes. Additionally, the shop
also offers cute accessories to match your costume. 

At the time of this reviewer’s visit, the
shop was a bit of a mess full of cardboard boxes as the staff hung and arranged
the costumes in anticipation of the upcoming Halloween festivities.

The shop’s space is not ample, with most
displayed items intended for kids, including military gear, Aladdin and Sinbad
costumes for boys and Cinderella, Snow White and other fairy tale costumes for girls. There are also animal costumes including bear, bee and
chick costumes. Kids’ costumes range between 150LE and 180LE without their
matching accessories.

As for the shop’s accessory collection, you
can buy wigs, moustaches, swords, skulls and brooms for between 20LE to 50LE.
Neverland also sells makeup kits of water-based face paints, as well as
different sizes of plastic, carved pumpkin faces with evil laughs.

Magic tricks, potions and fireworks are
also for sale, as well as masks of Frankenstein, Freddy, Count Dracula and
other villainous characters for between 45LE to 60LE. You can also pick up a
few hats, such as evil witches’ hats or a pirate’s hat if you’re aiming to dress
up as Captain Hook or a Pirate from the Caribbean. The cheapest accessories you
can pick up are bloodied fingers for 5LE, as well as fake moustaches and
beards, also for 5LE.

At the time of this reviewer’s visit, the
adult costumes collection was quite lacking, but we were told that more
costumes would arrive in the coming days in anticipation of Halloween,
including costumes for Jack Sparrow, Zorro, Dracula and a few Pharaonic
outfits. Prices for a full costume range between 275LE and 350LE, excluding the
accompanying accessories – you can’t be a pirate without a pirate’s hat!

A starting price of 275LE may be a lot to
pay for a costume you’ll probably only wear once, but considering Cairo is not
exactly overflowing with costume shops; it’s a price worth paying for a
hassle-free Halloween.