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

Hello Cairo!

The end of the working week is only hours
away, and we can’t wait to break off the shackles and wreak havoc on Cairo’s
restaurants, clubs and theatres. As always, we have the best of the weekend’s events for you.

There’s plenty of great music to sink your
teeth into this Thursday Night, with rai live-wires Sa7ra at After Eight, and
El Sawy Culturewheel hosting rockers Cairokee as well as the smooth jazz of Amro Salah and Noha Fekry. Head over to El Genaina Theatre for an
evening of Egyptian hip-hop, where groups El-Zero, Arab Rap Family &
Asfalt will perform, or catch Crash Boom Bang‘s hat party at Cairo Jazz Club, promising a night of high-energy music, wacky outfits and laughter.
Egyptian folk music ensemble El
Tanboura took Europe by storm during their recent tour, so make sure to catch them
tonight at El Tanboura hall for their return. All events at the Cairo Opera House have been cancelled for Thursday, but the Opera plans to resume business on Friday.

Top Italian DJ Andrea Bertolini is among the guests at the UnderGround Night,
which is being held in Oraby City, and is definitely worth the trip. Big fancy-dress parties are few and far between in Cairo, but the
Terrace will host the Socialista’s Cube party; where you dress in as many different
colours from the rubik’s cube, and then swap items with other party-goers to complete
an outfit of one colour!

Thinking of taking in some art this weekend? Check out group exhibition ‘The Train’ at
Picasso Gallery to see the works of artists such as Okasha, Monique Baronie and Baro Renwar, or the unique ‘If by Qarm Qart’
exhibition at Mashrabia Gallery for a humourous look at the Mubarak reign.
Alteratively, head over to El Sawy Culturwheel for Claudia Wiens’ ‘Shoe Size 37′ photography
exhibition, which documents the state of women’s football in Egypt, Palestine, Turkey
and Germany. Today will also see the beginning of the Local Crafts
Festival at Al Azhar Park; enjoy four days of live Egyptian
music, craft tents for children, creativity competitions, storytelling and
reading activities, and more.

Friday is a big day for live music as
always, with the always lively Salalem on stage at After Eight, and DJ Junior on
the decks at Cairo Jazz Club. Hopefully, Cairo Opera House will be back running as usual,
because talented Qanon musician Saber Abdel Satar will perform at the
Open-Air Theatre. On the other side of the Zamalek island, Tiatro Group will perform their oriental music at El Sawy
Culturewheel.

You can also check out Townhouse Gallery for the Maat Dance Mecca performance, led by acclaimed Egyptian dancer and choreographer Karima
Mansour. Or if you reckon you have some moves of your own, Mashroo’ Al Mareekh
is back to give any amateur talents a chance to shine on stage. If you’re a fan
of the novel Citizen in a Foreign Country, author Sami El Zokm will be at El Sawy
Culturewheel to discuss the themes, questions and issues that it raises.

The weekend will end with a bang, as we have some red-hot events
for you on Saturday. Cairokee’s album launch party at Cairo Jazz Club is not to
be missed, while the revolution-inspired 25th of January Band are at
Cairo Opera House and Black Theama will perform at El Sawy Culturewheel. El Fan
Midan has been a huge success so far, and the huge cross-country musical event
is back once more at Abdeen Square with live performances and exhibitions, as
well as a market and a book fair to keep you engaged. Shopaholics will be drooling at the prospect
of Le Bazaar at the Intercontinental Cairo Citystars; promising a day of shopping, eating and fun until 11PM.