The troupes were presented by TV anchor Amr Ellisy, as part of his popular show "One of the People" aired on Al-Hayat TV channel.

Folklorita took the stage first, with eight female singers and percussionists, seven instrumentalists (drums, percussion, kawala, and keyboard), and five Tanoura dancers welcoming the audience. 

The show started with Moraba’at Ebn Arous and then Abdel-Halim Hafez’s Ana Kol Ma Gool El Toba.

After that, the band performed a series of well-known compositions like Haret El-Sa’ayeen by Mohamed Mounir, Bos Ala Al Halawa by Hegazy Metkal, and Mahsobko Endas by Eman El-Bahr Darwish.

Furthermore, Folklorita presented their first original composition Khamsa w Khemesa to the music and arrangement of Islam Refaat, lyrics of Nader Shaaban, and rhythmic arrangement of Ahmed Mohamed Sakran (Siko), the troupe's founder.

Khamsa w Khemesa is just the beginning of Folklorita's journey through originals, Siko said in an interview in July. "Maybe we will manage to introduce our new folklore, making our mark on this wonderful genre,” he added.

Additionally, the evening included a Tanoura performance of three of the band's songs and rhythms led by Radwa Saad El-Din, the first Egyptian girl to dance Tanoura.

Their performance encouraged the audience to interact and even dance. 

This was the band's first time to take the New Alamein Festival's stage, just six months after its founding last February.

The second segment of the folkloric evening presented Banat El-Sira, an ensemble consisting of one singer (Shaimaa El-Noubi), one narrator of the epic (Nihal El-Helaly), and three instrumentalists.

The band focused on presenting Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah (also known as the Sirat Bani Hilal or the Al-Hilali epic), an Arabic epicoral poem.

Banat El-Sira creatively recounted the journey of the Bani Hilal Bedouin tribe, placing much importance on Rababa, a bowed string instrument related to the MENA region's musical traditions.

Presenting Bani Hilal at the beginning, they emphasized that "it is a true story and not a myth as some may believe."

Then, they narrated the first part of the tale, followed by the folk love story of Aziza and Younis.

This love story is also depicted in the lyrics of singer Mohamed Mounir's Younis, a song that resonates with the audience.

Praised by Bani Hilal during their 2019 debut in Aswan, Banat El-Sira continues to spread the unique storytelling tradition in their creative way.

Besides holding numerous performances across Egypt, the band revealed to Ahram Online that they are now preparing for their September concert outside Egypt. 

On the same evening, Alamein's main stage, Musical Arena, was taken by Hamza Namira, Souad Massi, and Massar Egbari.

The second New Alamein Festival will continue until the end of August.

Most of its activities will be on extended weekends, between Thursdays and Sundays, with artistic segments, concerts, and theatre plays featuring numerous stars.

The festival also presents sports segments including diving, volleyball, padel tournaments, sky sports, and mixed martial arts. 

It will also offer numerous family activities, such as the Pets Zone Shows, Bites by the Sea, and Nabta activities for children.

Check the programme of the second Alamein festival here.