Not to be missed: New Alamein Festival, National Theatre Festival, Ruby, Fouad & Mounib - Music - Arts & Culture

Al-Ahram Weekly

16-07-2025

Ahram Online highlights a selection of do-not-miss events this week 16-22 July in Cairo
New films across cinemas starting 16 July
- Smurfs, starring Nick Offerman, James Corden, Rihanna, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy
- 40 Acres, starring Michael Greyeyes, Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O'Connor
- El-Shater, starring Amir Karara, Hana Al Zahid, Moustafa Gharieb, Khalid Al Sawi
- I Know What You Did Last Summer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Madelyn Cline (starting 17 July)
Get Salima - theatre play
Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 July, 8pm
Rawabet Art Space, 5 Hussein Basha Al Meamari, Downtown Cairo
Directed by Ahmed El-Sherbiny, the play follows Kawthar and Karim as they struggle to stay afloat amid soaring prices—but life has other plans.
From meddling neighbours to a long-overdue promotion, and even a break-in that turns their world upside down, the pressure builds. Will it push Karim to take a leap and change his life?
3rd New Alamein Festival
18 July - 29 August
The festival will showcase a stellar lineup of top artists from Egypt and the Arab world, including Amr Diab, Angham, Assala Nasri, Tamer Hosny, Tamer Ashour, Marwan Pablo, Lege-Cy, Wegz, Cairokee, and more.
Some are returning from the festival's second edition in 2024, while others will take the Alamein stage for the first time.
In addition to concerts, the festival features a wide range of artistic, sports, entertainment, and culinary events.
Read more about the festival here.
Andromida - music
Friday 18 July, 8pm
El-Sawy Culturewheel, River hall, 26th of July street, Zamalek, Cairo
One of the oldest active rock bands in Egypt, Andromida was formed by Amr Hassan & Ihab Al Qalie (keyboard and vocals). The band also includes Sherif El-Sharqawi (drums and vocals) and Ahmed Anwar (bass and vocals).
Founded in Alexandria in 1987, the band is widely known for performing some of Pink Floyd's most well-known songs.
Fathy Salama and Sheikh Mahmoud El-Tohamy - music
Friday 18 July, 9pm
Cairo Opera House, Open-Air Theatre, Zamalek, Cairo
Titled Sufism vs Modernism, the concert brings together Grammy-winning musician Fathy Salama and renowned Islamic Sufi chanter Mahmoud El-Tohamy, joined by a diverse lineup of musicians.
The project blends Egypt's rich Sufi and folkloric heritage with modern genres—including electronic, pop, hip hop, rock, and jazz—to create a contemporary musical dialogue.
The son of legendary chanter Sheikh Yassin El-Tohamy, Mahmoud El-Tohamy is considered a master of traditional Islamic musical art.
The concert is part of the Cairo Opera House's Summer Festival.
The Mummification Lesson - theatre play
Saturday 19 July, 7pm
El-Jeeb Studio, Zamalek
'The Mummification Lesson,' a scientific and performative lecture presented by Omar El-Moutaz Bellah and moderated by Hoda Abdel Aziz, explores the ancient ritual of mummification through a dramatic and philosophical lens.
The lecture delves into the convergence of religion, biology, magic, and cosmology—where the embalmed body is not merely preserved, but transformed into a vessel of promise that death is not annihilation, but metamorphosis.
Combining theory and practice live on stage, the event traces the stages of mummification—material and metaphysical—unpacking its tools, substances, and ritual spells drawn from the Egyptian Books of the Afterlife.
Far from a purely funerary act, the lecture repositions mummification as a sacred ritual uniting theology, science, and myth in a performance that is both intellectual and immersive.
Hanan Mady - music
Saturday 19 July, 9pm
Cairo Opera House, Open-Air Theatre, Zamalek, Cairo
Hanan Mady began singing at a young age and studied violin at the Cairo Conservatory, graduating in 1989.
She made her singing debut with the theme song—composed by Omar Khairat—for the 1988 television series El-Leqaa El-Thany (The Second Meeting).
Mady went on to perform in several popular TV series, including Yasser Abdel-Rahman's theme for El-Mal Wal-Banon (The Fortune and the Progeny, 1992–1995), and collaborated with renowned composers and lyricists such as Abdel-Azim Abdel-Haq, Helmi Bakr, Ahmad Fouad Negm, Ibrahim Abdel-Fattah, and Reda Amin.
Over the course of her career, she released four albums, featuring fan favorites like Leilet Eshq, El-Bahr, Sheddy El-Dafayer, Asfour, and Kan W-Kan.
The concert is part of the Cairo Opera House's Summer Festival.
Ruby & Ahmed Saad - music
Saturday 19 July
Beach Resort, Marassi
Ruby, the Egyptian singer and actress who rose to fame in the early 2000s, is known for her bold music videos and distinctive performance style. Beyond music, she has appeared in a range of film and television roles, demonstrating her versatility across romantic and dramatic genres.
Ahmed Saad is a prominent Egyptian singer best known for his emotional ballads. Launching his career in the early 2000s, he quickly became a fixture in Egyptian film and television soundtracks, blending traditional Arabic vocals with modern pop and electronic elements. He often collaborates with major stars, including his brother, actor Amr Saad.
The concert featuring both stars is part of Layali Marassi, a summer series showcasing leading singers at the Marassi Beach Resort. The concerts are held every Saturday through the end of August.
18th Egyptian National Theatre Festival
20 July - 6 August
Launched in 2006, the Egyptian National Theatre Festival has grown into the country's largest annual event dedicated to the theatre movement.
This year's lineup features a wide range of performances from troupes affiliated with various sectors of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Cultural Palaces, the Art House for Theatre, the Academy of Arts, private theatres, and university and student groups from the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts.
Many of the plays have already premiered to critical and audience acclaim, while others are being introduced to wider audiences for the first time.
Read more about the festival here
Fouad & Mounib - music
Sunday 20 July, 8pm
Cairo Opera House, Open-Air Theatre, Zamalek, Cairo
The story of Fouad and Mounib began in 2015, when the two musicians met on Facebook and started exchanging music. A few months later, they gave their first concert at Alexandria's Creativity Centre.
Their popularity quickly grew, leading to performances at major venues such as the Cairo Opera House and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Arts Centre, as well as tours in Morocco and Austria.
Over time, the duo pursued more ambitious projects, with Mounib arranging music for various ensembles and orchestras.
The concert is part of the Cairo Opera House's Summer Festival.
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