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

Stuck in Cairo for this long weekend? Fret not; the
city is bursting at the seams with loads of interesting events over the next
three days!

Cairo has a diverse range of live music this Thursday, with a guitar recital at AUC’s
Downtown campus (the first day of its Cairo Contemporary Music Days 2011 festival), and the Arabic Music Ensemble’s Kolthomiat concert at Cairo Opera House.

For a taste of ethnic Egyptian music, check out Darawish
Abul Gheit folk group at El Tanboura Hall tonight. Local band Basata will
celebrate their third anniversary with a live concert at El Sawy’s River Hall,
while Sa7ra will play their reggae fusion music at After Eight. The Cairo Jazz
Club presents a double bill tonight with an early acoustic performance by
Sheila Scribner followed by the fun and groovy rock and funk covers by
Screwdriver.

The rather strangely named Lick My Deck party will kick off
at 8PM tonight featuring DJ Bobina and Vocalist Jennifer Rene at Blue Nile Deck,
while the BCA’s Mohandiseen will be tapping into the current British Royal
Wedding craze with a royal theme night featuring DJ Moody.

Thursday also marks the launch of Townhouse Gallery’s new
project ‘Force Majeure’, where miniatures by a group of artists will be
displayed as part of a collaborative effort between artists Adham Hafez and
Ismail Fayed.

A couple of interesting seminars worth checking out today
are El Sawy’s open discussion with author and journalist Galal Amer at Wisdom
Hall, and author Wafaa El Gendy’s lecture ‘Egypt after the Revolution’ at Word
Hall 1.

The French Institute’s film festival ‘7 Recontres de L’Image’
continues until Saturday, screening a diverse collection of documentaries,
short films and animated films produced by young filmmakers.

On Friday, if you’re
planning on staying glued to your TV for the British Royal Wedding, the BCA in
Mohandiseen offers large TV screens in its clubhouse with a traditional roast Sunday
lunch, while its Maadi branch also offers large screens covering the live show
in its garden. Dress code is hats and gloves apparently.

Friday is another day of festivals with 3abar B 7oriya Carnival
(Express Yourself Freely) at the Shooting Club in Dokki, an all-day event
featuring live music, street painting and graffiti and an Egyptian bazaar. On
the other side of town in El Azhar Park, El Genaina Theatre’s Summer 2011
Festival starts at 8PM with Tunisian singer Abir Nassraoui.

For more live music, El Sawy Culturewheel has two concerts:
religious songs by El Gheikh Gouda Heikal at Wisdom Hall and Egyptian pop
singer Haytham Nabil at River Hall. The AUC continues its Cairo Contemporary
Music Days 2011 festival with a concert by Ensemble Slagwek Den Haag, while
Salalem bring their funky grooves and witty lyrics to After Eight. Cairo Jazz
Club promises a packed night of dancing with DJ Fahmy and Samba.

Shayma Aziz’s exhibition ‘Floating over the Cairene Sky’
ends its run at Artellewa this Friday, while Ali Ali’s exhibition ‘Thirty Hosnis’
continues its showing at Articulate Baboon Gallery.

Saturday is a
quiet day on the music front with Fuego playing Gypsy King covers at After
Eight and Alexandrian natives Massar Egbari performing live at Cairo Jazz Club.
Saturday’s a good day for art gallery browsing; so check out Salah El Mur’s
exhibition at Mashrabia Gallery, the Multiple Artists Exhibition at Gezirah Art
Center and ‘Still Valid’ group art exhibition at AUC New Campus’ Sharjah Art
Gallery.

And there you have it, Cairo! Have a fun, relaxed weekend!