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

Hello Cairo!

We hope you’ve started making
your summer holiday plans, because we sure have made ours. If you’re staying in town, the good news is that Cairo’s always packed with fun things to do over the weekend, especially now
that the curfew is no longer a thorn in our side.

Thursday is obviously our favourite day of the week after five gruesome
days at the office, and we have a great selection of music to start your
weekend off to. Alexandrian singer Donia Masoud is back tonight at El Genaina Theatre. Also returning to Egypt is
Jordanian band Autostrad who will play at Cairo Jazz Club, while Sa7ra will
continue to impress at After Eight.

For a little taste of classic Egyptian music,
Kolthomiat perform covers of the great Om Kolthoum at Cairo Opera House, while
Rango are on stage at El Tanboura Hall with their unmistakable Sudanese and
Nubian sounds. International flamenco star Maria Juncal is in Egypt, and will perform at Cairo Opera House. Alternatively, you can opt for a more
traditional night of dance at El Gomhouria Theatre with Forsan El Sharq’s
weeklong show.

Laila Hassan Soliman’s No Time for Art
theatre piece begun its series of performances at Rawabet Theatre last week,
and this interactive performance will continue till Saturday. Cairo Opera House will host two consecutive performances of Donizetti’s opera L’Elisir d’Amore
starting tonight. There are plenty of exhibitions to check out, with ‘If by Qarm
Qart’ at Mashrabia Gallery being a Cairo 360 favourite. Dutch photographer Bas
Princen has brought Cairo, Istanbul, Beirut, Amman, and Dubai together in his ‘Refuge-Five
Cities’ exhibition, held at Townhouse Gallery.

We have even more live music for you on Friday,
as the witty contemporary rock band Salalem take centre stage at After Eight. Autostrad will
perform their second gig of the weekend at El Genaina Theatre, while DJ Slim who will keep you dancing all the way to the
early hours of the morning at Cairo Jazz Club. Don’t miss singer Aziz El Shafie at El Sawy
Culturewheel, whose song ‘Bahebek Ya Biladi’ became an anthem of sort for the January 25th revolution. 

Townhouse Gallery continues to host the interesting poster project ‘Success and Uncertainty’ till next Wednesday, and it is worth a
visit before the end of its run. The annual Gezira
X-Bazaar is back, with no shortage of attractions. Head over to Zamalek’s El
Gezira Sporting Club for a day of shopping, entertainment and activities for
all ages. Alternatively, you could head over to Masjid El Sedik in Masaken Sheraton for a book
fair, several musical performances, activities for children, and artist showcases
at the monthly Culture Corner.  

Saturday is a good day to catch some live music, as El Sawy Culturwheel brings three
big names together for an incredible night of contemporary Arabic rock music, where Salalem, Autostrad and
Resala will all perform. If that wasn’t enough, El Sawy will also host experimental group Yorka, and smooth Nubian fusion musician Beshir will perform at Cairo Jazz Club; too many choices! You could get
away from that young crowd all together and chill out with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra
for a night of sophistication at Cairo Opera House.

It’s a big day for El Sawy
Culturewheel, because Saturday will also be the opening of Claudia Weins’
exhibition ‘Shoe Size 37’. The photographer has followed women’s football in
Egypt, Palestine, Germany and Turkey, and the result is a unique and insightful
exhibition. Those familiar with El Sherouk editor Wael Gamal will know not to
miss his seminar: ‘Living,
Freedom, Social Justice or Economic Breakdown?’ at Gezira Youth Centre.

There you go Cairo, have fun!