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

Hello, Cairo! The weekend is here and with it comes the Cairo Weekend Guide for you to pick and choose what to do and where to go, from the many events that the sleepless city has to offer in the next two days – and there are quite a few.

This weekend starts with the return of Cairo Jazz Festival; taking place at AUC Tahrir, the festival’s 9th edition sees three back-to-back days of live music, which starts with three consecutive gigs by local band, The Cairo Big Band Society, Mathias Heise Quadrillion from Denmark and Eftekasat, respectively.

Elsewhere, Downtown’s Dammah Theatre hosts a Zar music night, with Darawish Abu El Gheit, while Zamalek’s Magnolia hosts Jam of the Genres; a night that welcomes Cairo’s talented musician for a jam session that gathers jazz & blues, Oriental and pop/rock music under one roof.

Later in the night, meanwhile, there’s even more jazz; Cairo Jazz Club hosts Cairo Jazz Festival’s Beyond Stage series, which sees Dutch band, Kapok, playing a blend of genres, before HanyMust, Shady Ahmed and George Aboutar, pay tribute to the legendary Jim Morrison. Elsewhere, Kempinski Nile Hotel’s Jazz bar welcomes singer, Amy Frega, to perform a number of smooth jazz tunes with Rami Attallah on the piano and Ehab Badr on bass.

For your fix of house music, Zigzag is the sight for the season opener of Anthems with DJs, Abou Samra, Misty and Hafez, while The Tap East welcomes Ayman Nageeb for a dose of nu-disco and The Tap Maadi hosts All That DJunk, where Ramy DJunkie hits the decks for a night of hip-hop, r&b and funk.

Friday comes with more than just music; Heliopolis’ Balcon hosts the screening of biographical drama, Paula, while Boards Kingdom’s wide range of games is the star of the night at Magnolia. When it comes to music, Cairo Jazz Festival continues at AUC Tahrir, as well as Garden City’s ROOM Art Space, where Hungarian band, Andres Des Trio, takes to the stage to play a variety of jazz tunes.

Cairo Jazz Festival’s Beyond Stage also continues at Cairo Jazz Club, welcoming Machine Eat Man’s Mohamed Ragab’s live electronic project, Burdizo, on a night that will also see local duo, Aguizi & Fahim, take to the stage with their trademark tech-house sets. On the other side of the musical spectrum, Bus Stop hosts another night of Orient Express, where belly dancer, Anna, shakes it off to the beats of DJ Tommy.

Meanwhile, The Tap Maadi hosts a house night, where DJs Arrab and Sebzz, take care of the music and The Tap East brings a double dose of music, with cover band, Crash Boom Band, take to the stage, before DJ Mobbz takes over, to play some hip-hop tunes.

Saturday starts with a nice stroll in Zamalek’s Aquarium Grotto Garden, where Cairo Flea Market takes place, gathering a host of vendors, food outlets and various activities. Also happening early this Saturday, Oktoberfest at The Taps, where it’s pouring beer and music; courtesy of Omar Kay, Teddy and Aguizi & Fahim at The Tap East, while DJ Kidmims;, at The Tap Maadi.

Going deeper into the night, Townhouse Rawabet hosts a dance performance entitled, Duet Sample, ROOM Art Space welcomes Mn’Jam Experiment, who take to the stage for a night of electronic Jazz, while, last but not least, Andres Des Trio, takes over at Cairo Jazz Club, as part of Cairo Jazz Festival’s Beyond Stage series.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, check Cairo 360’s events page for a whole lot more of where to go and what to do.