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

‘Tis beginning to look a lot like Valentine’s; giant red hearts, puffy helium balloons and enormous red teddy bears hovering are all over the streets of Cairo. But we’re here to tell you that your Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be that soppy; with plenty of restaurants, hotels and clubs hosting Valentine’s starting as soon as Thursday, there’s plenty of fun to be found.

Valentine’s Day celebrations begin on Thursday at Fairmont Nile City’s Saigon Restaurant & Lounge, where the Asian restaurant hosts its La Vie En Rose; a classy evening featuring live entertainment alongside an exquisite Far Eastern dinner.  The hotel’s Champagne Bar, meanwhile, also celebrates Valentine’s tonight, all the way to Sunday, with an exquisite selection of fancy chocolates and live music. 

Friday sees early Valentine celebrations, with Riverside hosting Valentine’s Riverdeep, with local DJs Fuzzy and Ayman Nageeb on the lineup and InterContinental Cairo Semiramis' Night & Day celebrates love with jazz pioneer, Yehia Khalil, with some delicious brunch on the menu, while local favourite, Ahmed Harfoush, entertains diners of Semiramis' Pane Vino and JW Marriott welcomes Lebanese superstar, Haifa Wehbe, for a special Valentine’s bash.

Elsewhere, Westown Hub’s Melt Bites is offering a special Valentine’s lunch and dinner, with live entertainment courtesy of Adham Roshdy and the Wave Jazz band, while Valentine celebrations continue at Fairmont Nile City’ Napa Grill with a romantic candle-lit seafood buffet and live music.   

Saturday sees an Oriental Valentine’s Day celebration at Gŭ Bar, featuring Heshek Beshek and a special appearance by Mohamed Fouad, while the Nile Ritz-Carlton's NOX, hosts a special Valentine's party, with a huge line-up that includes DJ Zawahry and DJ Roro, along with Joleen the vocalist, belly dancer Amie amongst others.

Additionally, Ahmed Harfoush makes another appearance at Fairmont Nile City’s Magenta, for yet another jazzy Valentine party and special dinner.

On Valentine’s Day itself (Sunday), Eat & Barrel has you covered with a special Valentine’s celebration featuring Danny Malak and Mina Younan, while local young talent, Malak El Husseiny, performs at Maadi’s dining hub, Courtyard.

For further Valentine’s Day celebrations by the Nile, Kempinski Nile Hotel’s Osmanly, hosts a Turkish Valentine’s dinner, whereas Conrad Cairo’s Stage One, hosts a special Valentine’s dinner accompanied by a packed DJ line-up, while Kamala, the hotel’s Asian restaurant, has you covered for a four-course dinner featuring local songstress, Seham.    

On the other side of the city, Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski hosts a five-course gourmet dinner escorted by live violin music at Romanov, while the hotel’s Yana, hosts yet another five-course dinner with an Asian twist.

These are just a few of the lovey-dovey events and dinners across Egypt's capital – check out the Cairo 360 events calendar for more. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!