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

Christmas is all but here and Cairo has embraced the festive season with gusto, as restaurants, bars and hotels across the city do their darnedest to deliver an authentic seasonal experience. And though it might not be a picture-perfect 90’s Hollywood Christmas, there’s still plenty going on around the city over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to satisfy.

Eat

We begin at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza, where Christmas Eve will see several of the hotel’s restaurants serve special Christmas menus; stunning Asian restaurant, 8, offers a set menu for 650LE++ per person and Italian restaurant, Bella, is adding a Mediterannean twist with a set menu for 450LE++ per person, while Zitouni will be putting up a huge spread of yummy goodness with a special buffet on Christmas Eve and Day for 330LE++ per person. Meanwhile, the hotel’s resident bakery, Beymen Café, has plenty of special sweet treats, exclusively for the Christmas period.

Things aren’t too dissimilar at the Conrad Cairo Hotel, meanwhile, with Oak Grill and Kamala also offering Christmas Eve set menus for 350LE++ and 220LE++ respectively.

The InterContinental Semiramis have infused a strong dose of Christmas into its usual Friday brunch and will continue to do so on December 27 and January 7th, while a few blocks down at the Kempinski Nile Cairo offers a Christmas Eve and Day buffet brunch for 275LE++.

Elsewhere, the Four Seasons First Residence in Giza is going all out at new restaurant STRADA, with a four-course Christmas Eve dinner for 300LE++ and a Christmas Day Brunch buffet – also 300LE++. The Cairo Marriott Hotel in Zamalek, meanwhile, has plenty to offer, including special lunch and dinner buffets at Roy’s Country Kitchen, specially tailored set menus at Saraya Gallery and some festive live entertainment at Harry’s Pub, all on both Christmas Eve and Day

In the heart of Downtown Cairo, the Ramses Hilton welcomes one and all for a special Christmas Day lunch – and mulled wine – while the Fairmont Heliopolis and Towers is hosting a special Christmas brunch buffet at Aqua e Luce, with plenty of entertainment and kids’ activities on offer.

Moving away from Cairo’s hotels, many of the other city’s restaurants, Dokki nightspot, Alchemy, is serving a special set menu and the Clubhouse Uptown Cairo is serving a spectacular looking Christmas Eve set menu for 330LE++.

Party

Christmas Eve

Cairo Jazz Club hosts its annual charity Christmas event, of which all profits will go to Egyptian multicultural council, Tamarod. The night, which has been festively named, Jingle Bell Rock, will see a double whammy of live music, with acoustic rocker, Shady Ahmed, and Beatles cover band, Glass Onion, performing.

CJC’s sister venue, Alchemy, will also be celebrating, with a special Christmas edition of Euphoria – Euphoric Christmas to be precise – and DJ Shady Ezz providing the music. At the Four Seasons Nile Plaza, meanwhile, Graffiti kicks off three nights of celebration, starting with Graffiti Does Christmas featuring DJ Roro and a drummer – because nothing says Christmas like house music and drumming.

Across the Nile along the Giza Corniche, Y Lounge has enlisted the help of Nile FM’s resident hip-hop expert, DJ Feedo, for Christmas Night, while smooth vocalist, Dina Saleh, helps Overtime Restaurant & Bar usher in the festivities.

Christmas Day

Cairo Jazz Club is again pulling no stops, with Season to Be Naughty, where DJ Mohasseb will be behind the decks, while Tamarai hosts C’est Noel, which sees DJs Lyon Avakian and Richard R provide the entertainment.

There’s plenty going on at the Fairmont’s Nile City, with Ahmed Harfoush singing the night away at the lavish Saigon Restaurant & Lounge and X-mas Party at O Bar pulling together DJs Feedo, Carlos and Mounir Zakhary for a night of non-stop music.

Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah’s Buddha Bar will be marking what has been a tough year with Luscious Christmas and Almaz celebrates with Christmas Blast, while Graffiti’s second night of Christmas fun comes courtesy of UK DJ, Laura Love, at Jingle Bells.

Bal De Noel sees DJ Nader Nelson and belly dancer, Nesma, mark the inaccurate birth of Jesus at the Nile Maxim Boat in Zamalek, while a few boat doors down the road, Ontop hosts Palais De Lux’s Christmas Party. In the East of Cairo, Heliopolis Christmas parties come at Cavallini’s Christmas Night at Amici’s Down the Chimney, the latter of which will feature the energetic musical stylings of Crash Boom Bang.

For more festive events across Cairo, check out the Cairo 360 events calendar. Merry Christmas!