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

While Christmas dinners and family gatherings are some of the perks of these jolly times we are living in, a little bit of running wild and free at a Christmas party never hurt anyone. Here’s some of the best Christmas parties that Cairo’s offering those who want to take a walk on the wild side of Xmas:

The Cadillacs carry the festivities at The Tap East (Photo: The Cadillacs/Facebook)

For live music, head either to The Tap East’s Jingle on the Rocks, where rowdy rockabilly rousers, The Cadillacs, take to the stage, before DJ Armen V. hits the decks, or to Nineteen Twenty Five. where local band, Sharmoofers, hit the stage for The Magic of Christmas, alongside DJ Hady.

For those who are looking for a Christmas party with an Oriental touch; The Garden Nile Front’s Christmas party welcomes belly dancer, Daniella, to the stage for a special performance, as well as hip-hop connoisseur, DJ Mobbz, who takes to decks. Also going Oriental is Dijon Bistro’s Christmas Night L’ Auberge, which includes an open bar and free corkage, as well as a performance by the one and only Alla Kushnir, on a night that also sees DJ AK taking to decks. Last but not least, 24K, in Heliopolis, hosts Dancing Snowflakes Christmas Night, where belly-dancing star, Amie Sultan, is set to provide the entertainment, along with DJ BobMix.   

Belly-dancing star, Amie Sultan, is heating things up at 24K (Photo: Amie Sultan)

Elsewhere, house music is on the menu at The Tap Maadi, where Holidazed & Confused welcomes Pacha Sharm resident, Ouzo, who takes to decks, before local favourite, Sebbz, takes over, along with DJ ELLOLL. Alternatively, Zigzag’s ABSTRAKT: Xmas Edition brings three up-and-comers, Karim Khalil, Jimmy and Karim Yousry, while Bus Stop’s Get Together for Christmas features DJ Feedo, who takes to decks to play a variety of hip-hop and R&B tunes. As for Cairo Jazz club, Under the Mistletoe sees Marc Wahba and SHIHA hitting the decks, while it’s all about vodka at Basement Urban Pub, where ABSOLUT takes charge of the open bar.

For something a little calmer, maybe even more romantic or even family-friendly, there are a select dinner options around the city, too.

Naturally, many of the best ones at Cairo’s hotels, including an early Christmas lunch buffet at Omar’s Café at the Cairo Marriott. Elsewhere, the Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski’s Italian eatery, Lucca, is hosting a special Italian-style Christmas dinner, while European grill room, Romanov, is doing Christmas in style with a spectacular five course menu.

There are options at the Nile Ritz-Carlton, too. First up is Culina’s A Taste of Christmas buffet, which offers a host of food- carving stations, seafood dishes and signature salads, in addition to a wide variety of desserts. Also at the Downtown hotel, a 3-course menu that comes with a complimentary glass of bubbly is on offer at Vivo.

Meanwhile, at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza in Garden City, Christmas is getting the Egyptian treatment at Zitouni, where a bountiful buffet is the day’s celebrations. Outside of the hotels, one of the stand out dinner options, meanwhile, is at Ora, which is offering a gourmet five course set menu alongside an open bar.

This is just a snapshot of the Christmas Day festivities; check out the Cairo 360 events calendar for more.