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

As you
settle down to plan out how best to spend your three day weekend, allow us to
offer a few suggestions:

This Thursday
evening, catch a cool breeze on the Nile at the Cairo Expats Yacht Party, on board the SS
Solitaire Boat. Be sure to show up by 00:30 or you will get left behind! Alternatively,
you could head on over to Sherif Bayoumi Palace for the Cairo Nights White Festival, where the dress code
is all white and the party continues until 4AM. If you’re in Downtown Cairo,
you can catch a screening of Indian film ‘Om Shanti Om’ at the Maulana Azad Center for Indian Culture,
or a live performance by Sudanese band Rango at El Tanboura Hall.

Take
advantage of the cool evening by catching a concert by Amira Ahmed and Raouf El Ganainy at Cairo’s Citadel
as part of the Citadel Music Festival. Nearby at Al Azhar Park’s El Genaina
Theatre, you can catch local band Basata performing live. Failing any of these, for
a good night you can always depend on Sa7ra’s performance at after Eight, Darb 1718’s Up on the Roof open-mic night, Ashara Gharby at Cairo Jazz Club, or the High Heels Party at Nile Holding Club, where
ladies get in free, and the 80LE entrance fee for men gets you one free drink
as well.

Friday offers a couple of potentially
classier entertainment options than Thursday, with the Cairo Opera House
hosting Tenor Sobhi Bedeir in the Open Air Theatre, and
harpist Yasmine El Harby entertaining audiences at El
Sawy Culturewheel. For a more unique sound catch Yorka’s mix of Andalusian, Algerian and Spanish
music at the Genaina Theatre. The Citadel Music festival continues this evening
with the Konouz Ensemble and Mohamed Sawah. Back in the
clubs you’ll find DJ Amir Sharara at Cairo Jazz Club and Salalem with their weekly gig at After Eight. Eskenderella will perform in El Sawy Culturewheel’s
River Hall after the monthly ‘Work is Worship’ seminar in Word Hall 1.

Saturday boasts some of the most unique
events we’ve seen in a while, the most anticipated of which is El Sawy Culturewheel’s Human Statue Competition.
That’s right. Participants will compete for the honour and glory (and prizes)
that come with being the most diligent and creative ‘standers’. We highly
recommend this one. Another creative venture that will be shown off today is
the sixth instalment of the Street Music Revolution; a group of musicians who
have decided to make the street their venue as they play music that celebrates
the new Egypt wherever they see fit.

Speaking
of live music, the Citadel Music Festival will feature the Golden Strings Band, Mamoun El Meligy and Manal
against the beautiful backdrop of the Cairo Citadel. Nubian musicians the Baraweez Ensemble will perform at the Cairo Opera
House’s Open Air Theatre and Ahmed El Haggaar & The Band will be at El
Sawy Culturewheel. If you’d like a drink with your live music, you can catch Fuego at After Eight, and Beshir at Cairo Jazz Club.

As Sunday
is a national holiday, you’ll probably be relaxing by a pool or the sea, or
hiding from the Cairo heat in one of its many cool cafés. For evening
entertainment, keep in mind violinist Rasha Yehia performing Arabic classical
music with an ensemble at the Cairo Opera House, and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra and others performing at
the Citadel Music Festival at the Cairo Citadel.

As
with previous weeks, don’t forget the continuing art exhibitions taking place
around Cairo, including the Khaled Sorour Exhibition at the Zamalek Art
Gallery/Kempinski Nile Hotel, ‘To Egypt with Love II’ at the Safar Khan Art
Gallery, the ‘Maspero’ Exhibition at Darb 1718,‘The Contemporaries’ at Tache Art Gallery, and
the ‘Contemporary Views IV’ exhibition at Al Masar
Gallery.

Good luck
choosing from all these amazing events, have a wonderful weekend and stay cool!