11th Cairo Video Festival
1-17 December

The 11th edition of the festival includes five main programmes, featuring video exhibitions at Medrar for Contemporary Art and the Italian Cultural Institute and film screenings at the French Institute and Zawya Cinema.

The festival, organized by Medrar for Contemporary Art, serves as a unique platform for dialogue between videographers, exhibition curators, and the public.

Check the details here.

Oud duet Ghassan & Dina - music
Thursday, 5 December, 8pm
Cairo Opera House, Small Hall, Zamalek, Cairo

Ghassan Alyoussif and Dina Abdelhamid are known for their joint performances, which they have given across many venues in Egypt during the past years.

The duo, who are graduates of Naseer Shamma’s Beit Al-Oud (The House of Oud) in Cairo, perform oud arrangements for classics from the repertoire of Sayed Darwish, Um Kalthoum, and Fairouz, among others.

Tul8te - music
Thursday, 5 December, 8pm
Zed Park, Sheikh Zayed, Cairo Outskirts

The masked rapper rose to fame earlier this year. In a very short time, his Instagram account has amassed more than 700,000 followers, while his TikTok account has nearly 670,000 followers.  

The man behind the crocheted balaclava had his breakthrough with Layalina, a song from his Tesh Shebab album, released last February.

Tul8te received even more recognition with his most recent album, Cocktail Ghena’y (Song Cocktail), released last July.

The album’s most successful hit so far is Habiby Leh, a song that garnered 15 million views on YouTube, unprecedentedly boosting his fame.

Tamer Ashour - music
Friday, 6 December, 6:30pm
Open Air Mall, Madinaty

Singer and composer Tamer Ashour came into the spotlight in the mid-2000s. 

Ever since, he has released seven albums establishing himself as one of the most popular performers in Egypt and the Arab world. His breakthrough as a singer came with the release of his debut single Zekrayat Kedaba (Lying Memories) in 2006. 

The song's success led Ashour to work on his first album Saab (Difficult), released in 2007.

This was followed by consecutive albums: Had Byheb (2008), Laya Nazra (2011), Esht Maak (2014), Khayali (2017), Ayam (2019), and Tegy Netrahen (2022). 

Egyptian Harp Ensemble - music
Friday, 6 December, 8pm
Cairo Opera House, Small Hall, Zamalek, Cairo

The Egyptian Harp Ensemble is a group of Egyptian female harp players, both professionals and students.

This group started its activities several years ago and presented many concerts at the Cairo Opera House and other theatres.

Its programme features different genres of music: classical and heritage, Egyptian, Spanish, Mexican, contemporary, jazz, and so on. 

Its goal is to shed light on this authentic Egyptian pharaonic instrument and to highlight the Egyptian school of playing, which has had its roots for more than 50 years.

Abu Shaar Brothers - music
Friday, 6 December, 8pm
El-Sawy Culturewheel, Wisdom Hall, 26th of July Street, Zamalek, Cairo

The Syrian Abu Shaar Brothers, formed in 1983, began as a quartet presenting music and chants that praise Prophet Mohammed. 

The band's youngest member was just 11 years old at the time of formation. As the band’s popularity began to grow, new generations subsequently joined the ensemble.

Soon, the Abu Shaar Brothers (El Ekhwa Abu Shaar) became an internationally renowned Syrian Islamic Nasheed group, whose music and lyrics focus on a religious repertoire.

The highly popular band in Egypt and the Arab region has more than 600,000 followers on social media such as Facebook and Instagram. 

The band currently reside in Egypt, where they hold many concerts.

Nesma Abdel-Aziz - music
Friday, 6 December, 8pm
Alexandria Opera House (Sayed Darwish Theatre), Alexandria

The evening will feature numerous compositions loved by Egyptian audiences, arrangements of Arabic classics, and Western music and jazz flavours.

Abdel-Aziz began her career in 2001 when she performed with renowned musician and composer Omar Khairat. She later started her own band to work on personal projects.

She is considered one of the best Marimba players in the Arab world. 

Abdel-Aziz studied at the Cairo Conservatory of Music before travelling to the United States to continue her studies. She has performed at many international festivals and events.

Ali El-Haggar - music
Friday, 6 December, 8pm
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Main Hall, Alexandria

El-Haggar has been one of the best-known singers in Egypt and the Arab world over the past four decades.

His songs carry lyrics drawn from the poetry of Salah Jahin, Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoudy, and Sayed Hegab to music by the country's most renowned composers such as Baligh Hamdy, Sayed Mekkawy, and Omar Khairat, among others.

Gypsy Jazz Project - music
Saturday, 7 December, 7pm
Room Art Space & Café, 10 Etehad Al-Mohamin Street, Garden City

The Gypsy Jazz Project presents a mixture of up-swinging, waltz, and sometimes quite tranquil and ballad-ish music that was first influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli.

The band’s lineup includes Michael Adel (guitar, vocals), Amr Soliman (guitar), Amir Latif (violin, trumpet), and Andrew Safwat (double bass).

Marwan Pablo 'Symphonic' - music
Saturday, 7 December, 8pm
El-Wahat Road, 6th of October (besides Dream Land)

In this special concert, the well-known rapper Marwan Pablo will perform accompanied by the Cairo Celebration Choir and Orchestra.

Conducted by Nayer Nagui, the concert will have a symphonic character — the first such experiment between the rapper and the maestro.

Stigma - music
Tuesday, 10 December, 8pm
Room Art Space & Café, Spot Mall, New Cairo

Stigma, established in 2020, is an Egyptian indie rock band.

The band’s lineup features Ali Etman (guitar, vocals), Youssef Ahmed (drums, vocals), Maram El- Sabbagh (keyboard, vocals), Omar Tarek (guitar), and Youssef Hassan (bass guitar).