Around 200 students participated in the educational part of the event
The European Day of Languages has been celebrated across Europe since 2001 to raise awareness of linguistic diversity and promote language learning as a powerful tool for intercultural understanding and dialogue. The event also aims to encourage language learning for all age groups.
The event took place on 25 September at the Cervantes Institute (the Spanish Cultural Centre) in Dokki. José Manuel Alba Pastor, Director of the Cervantes Institute, and Angelina Eichhorst, Ambassador of the European Union to Egypt, delivered welcome words.
Sweden booth at the European Day of Languages celebration at the Cervantes Institute
This year’s programme highlighted the rich variety of languages spoken across Europe and beyond, offering Cairo’s public the opportunity to experience the benefits of multilingualism first-hand. Visitors engaged with cultural stations prepared by European embassies and institutes, took part in interactive games such as word matching, listening activities, or poetry challenges, and enjoyed a vibrant evening of live music performances. Competitions ran throughout the afternoon, with winners announced, followed by a series of concerts.
Compared to last year’s edition, which saw the participation of 11 European countries, this year’s celebration in Cairo brought together 16 countries: Spain, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Greece, Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Sweden, Belgium, the UK, Turkey, and Hungary, offering an even wider linguistic diversity. The event was held under the auspices of two other key partners to the event: the Delegation of the European Union to Egypt and EUNIC Egypt. It was co-organised by the embassies of the 16 participating countries and their cultural centres.
Scholarships for European language courses were awarded through lottery draws or as awards to selected participants.
The European Day of Languages in Egypt 2025 was a lively and enriching experience. It was open to the public free of charge and without previous registration.
In addition to the public programme, the morning part of the European Day of Languages was devoted to introductory lessons in various languages for a group of schools from Cairo and their students. Similar to last year, these sessions followed the 20-minute “Lesson Zero” format, which offers a preliminary introduction to the specifics of each language.
Approximately 200 students participated in the educational portion of the event, attending several introductory lessons and engaging in joint language activities.
Music performances concluded the European Day of Languages
The afternoon and evening programme featured joint activities conducted by the participating cultural entities and embassies. These activities included word matching (organised by the Cervantes Institute), a song listening game (organised by the Embassy of Hungary), and poem recitals (organised by the Embassy of Lithuania).
The day was concluded with live music performances, which several enthusiastic Egyptian and foreign youth attended.
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