The International Festival for Youth Theatre, taking place 8-15 January, is an initiative by theatre actor and director Mazen El-Gharabawy with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Activation Authority. The renowned actress Samiha Ayoub is the first edition's honorary president.

According to the organisers, the festival aims at offering a variety of performances from all around the world, invigorating tourism in Sharm El-Sheikh, one of the major touristic spots in Egypt. In its first edition, the festival is a competitive event and showcases 20 performances from France, Russia, Germany, Italy, Tunisia, UAE, Iraq, Algeria, Libya among others. Egypt is represented with two plays.

Prior to the official opening, on Thursday, 7 January, a series of Egyptian folkloric events spread across the avenues of Sharm El-Sheikh walking from the Merkato Hotel area towards the Roman Theatre.

An opening ceremony that took place on Friday, 8 January, included a show titled Broadway performed at Genena City, Sharm El-Sheikh's shopping centre. The performance was attended by Egyptian officials, including Minister of Culture Helmi Namnam, South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda, and head of the Tourism Activation Authority Samy Mahmoud, alongside the festival's organisers, El-Gharabawy and the event's director, Wafaa El-Hakim.

During the opening, a number of renowned Egyptian culture figures were honoured, including actors Soheir El Morshedi, Ahmed Maher, Mahmoud El-Heddini and writer Fatma Naout, as well as artists from the Arab world: Abeer Issa and Ali Al-Erian from Jordan and Nada Abou Farhat from  Lebanon.

The first days of the festival also included a play condemning war and terrorism and calling for peace: Karakondžule 99. The play was staged by Marina Dimitrijevic and Aleksandra Manasijevic, representing Serbian troupe SAMTEATAR, and performed at Gafy resort. In parallel, small stages hosted other performances: Wa Lamy ako Shayan, by a troupe from Saudi Arabia, and Adam's Silk, presented by a troupe from Jordan.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture