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

The weather has significantly warmed up and we find ourselves longing for the beach; the sound of the sea, sandy hair and sun-kissed skin are only a few weeks away, but for now, Cairo continues to bring you the best live music, parties, exhibitions and more.

This Thursday, 100Copies Music Space hosts participants of the Art of Noise workshop for a night of off-beat performances, while the Cadillacs make a 50s and 60s knee-knocking appearance at Jazz Mate and Rock n’ Lol bang out some pop-rock at Cairo Jazz Club.

Abul Gheit will be serving up a traditional Zar music performance at El Dammah Theater for Free Arts, while Salalem are back in their weekly spot at After Eight and Beit El Oud El Araby are set to perform at El Sawy Culturewheel.

Sohag-based poet, Mahmoud Noweir, will be at Sufi this evening for a poetry reading and Darb 1718 will screen Tunisian documentary ‘Wedding Night at Tunis’ as part of Ana Hunna’s ‘Social Reaction Towards Non-Conforming Professions of Women’ initiative; another screening, of Italian film ‘L’industriale’, will also take place at the Italian Cultural Institute.

Today is your last chance to catch Left Bank’s pop-up ‘CMYK’ – which will then move onto Tache Art Gallery – Mohsen Shaalan’s ‘Black Cat: A Prison Experience’ and also ‘Manifestations’ by Adam Hinawi at Arthropologie. Meanwhile, ‘Silence of Tunes’ by Hend El Falalfly opens at Safar Khan.

Now, time for the serious stuff – it is Thursday after all! Pacha Sharm resident, DJ Mash, takes over Melouk, DJ Feedo returns with more r&b tracks at Otium and Y Lounge takes you on a journey, well metaphorically, with Air Nights. Roof Bar hosts DJ Simon for some fist-pumping mixes, Villa Mercedes takes you underground with their Underground Night, and Bamboo hosts another Ladies’ Night. Elsewhere, Club 35 is honouring the shortness of the month with an End of February celebration. Don’t bother asking why.

Friday continues the weekend fun with R&B Night at O Bar, Shady Nour and newcomer Loulii mixing it up at Cairo Jazz Club, and DJ Zizo at Roof Bar. Arabesque likes the whole mystery thing it seems, bringing yet another Night Full of Surprises.

Get your rock on with one of the oldest rock bands in Egypt, Andromida, at El Sawy Culturewheel, or head to 100Copies Music Space for a live performance by four-man band, Tumult.

If you happen to be an early riser, looking for an active Friday afternoon, then El Sawy Culturewheel will be hosting El Sakia Market in collaboration with Cairo’s top NGOs and non-profits.

There’s still some partying to be done on Saturday with Lebanese Love taking place at Bamboo, but for a more eclectic evening, head to Cairo Jazz Club for an evening of world music with El Moraba3. Bar D’O also welcomes Ahmed Harfoush for recently launched weekly event, Groovy Night.

Exploring censorship and social constraints, ‘Cairography’, will screen for two consecutive evenings at 10 Mahmoud Bassiouny, starting tonight.  Another event that goes for the coming two nights is ‘Il segreto di Susanna’ (Susanna’s Secret), at El Gomhouria Theatre.

Exhibitions are aplenty this week; the Parenthesis Show at CIC sees a collection that’s a result of a three month internship that took place under three Cairo-based artists. Elsewhere, ‘Digitizing Memory’ is an exhibition at Townhouse Gallery.

Remember Cairo; these are just a few of the events the city has to offer, so check out the Cairo 360 events calendar for a full rundown of what’s happening this weekend .