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

Hello Cairo!

As the long Eid holiday comes to a close, even the troops of Cairo 360 are dreading returning to a job where they eat, drink and shop for a living. You just can’t please some people. But before we drag our carcasses out of bed early on Sunday morning, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the weekend.

Thursday sees Cairo Jazz Club host  a night of funk, soul, rhythm and blues covers by local favourites, Déjà Vu. Meanwhile, after-hours Giza nightclub, Bamboo, caps off its three-day Eid celebration with Bamboo Living; a night that will see familiar faces, DJs Bob, Zizo, Kiko and 3abkarino, take charge of the music.

Indulging in Egypt’s rich cultural history is also an option tonight, with Darwish Abul Gheit taking to the stage at El Dammah Theater for an evening of authentic Sufi and Zar music. Meanwhile, El Genaina Theatre hosts a double whammy of live music, inviting spiritual Minyan band, Saleeb Sufi, to the stage, along with Habayebna; a group that covers the most unlikely Egyptian songs.  In a change of pace, the Sakia Puppet Theatre  pay tribute to legendary Egyptian singer, Abdel Halim Hafez, with a special – and not at all creepy – puppet show.

There’s little happening on Friday on account of the 7PM curfew, though Artellewa continues its celebration of Italian cinema with a screening of 2008 Italian drama, Gomorrah.

Things pick up on Saturday, with Cairo Jazz Cub hosting the reunion gig of popular, award-winning local band, Nagham Masry, who’ll bring their unique fusion of eastern and western music to the stage. More live music comes courtesy of Egyptian singer, Mohamed Mohsen, at El Genaina Theatre in Al Azhar Park, while the whirling dancers of the El Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group return for their weekly performance at Wikalet El Ghouri.

Elsewhere, Bamboo will recover from its mid-week series of Eid parties and resume normal service with another edition of Lebanese Love, where DJ Aly and DJ Kiko will play the best of modern Oriental hits. 

Have a great weekend – make the most of it!