17 Places With Live Music in Cairo (Not a DJ, Restaurant, Bar or Club)

After visiting Cairo, ticking-off some bucket-list items; the Pyramids of Giza & the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities & the old souq of Khan El-Khalili, eating at every freaking local restaurant, food stall, or cart, trying all recommended dishes & drinks; from foul, koshary,  molokheya, and stuffed pigeons, to hibiscus juice, sahlab (known in Turkey as Salep), and black tea with mint, you name it!

Sitting by the Nile River while enjoying a cup of tea/coffee and smoking hookah, one would always wonder what could be next? Is that it? That’s what Cairo “the city that NEVER sleeps” has to offer?

Truth is NO, you haven’t even covered a fraction of Cairo’s sights, let alone the fun activities that you can do, and musical events that you can attend. And as a visitor, I think it’s essential to get a glimpse of the local music scene.

This is a list of 17 places with live music in Cairo, more of underground music venues, stay tuned for another list of the best nightlife spots in Cairo.

1. Room Art Space & Cafe

Isn’t like any other artspace, it’s like walking through history, as it is located in the basement of a Belle Epoque building in the Garden City (one of Cairo’s classiest neighborhoods), during WWII the British Army made it their headquarters. Charles de Gaulle, Chaim Weizmann & Oliver Lyttleton are among the figures who walked through its doors, historians say that in this basement the negotiations regarding the independence of Syria & Lebanon have happened between Lyttleton & De Gaulle.

• Location: 10 Etehad El-Mohamin St. (previously Tolombat St.) – Garden City
• Getting there: by metro, the nearest station is Saad Zaghloul, proceeded by a 10-15 minutes walk
• Setting: Indoor (has a smoking and a non-smoking area), it is well ventilated, yet it could get a bit hot inside so make sure to be dressed in light layers
• Other: it also hosts;movie-screenings, game, & karaoke nights

*They also have a new location at the Grand Nile Tower Hotel, Kornish EL Nile, Garden City, that you can find on Facebook as Room Grand Experience, where they offer live entertainment and a dining experience

2. Sufi Bookstore

A bookstore/cafe/workspace by day located on the first floor of a residential building, and a live entertainment space by night. Don’t forget to check the schedule of their sister yoga/meditation space Mudra Yoga Studio on the 2nd floor of the same building.

• Location: 12 Sayed El Bakry Street, Zamalek
• Getting there: Careem/Uber (by metro it would take you forever as the station isn’t very close, but you can ride to the Opera Station, then take a 25-30 minutes walk or a Careem/Uber ride)
• Setting: Indoor
• Other: it also hosts movie-screenings, book signings, poetry & movie nights

3. Darb1718

This could be the perfect way to end your tour of Coptic Cairo, a.k.a. Old Cairo -given that this area is where the oldest capital of Cairo was- it’s also home to Egypt’s & Africa’s first and oldest mosque, it’s also commonly referred to as the Religious Complex because it is home to several churches, a mosque and a synagogue all in one place.

• Location: Kasr El Sham3 Street, Al Fakhareen – Old Cairo
• Getting there: by metro, nearest station is Mar Girgis
• Setting: Outdoor space and a rooftop
• Other: it also hosts workshops, movie-screenings, talks and lectures

4. Stage Elzamalek

An abandoned house where a British director, his wife and son once lived, but for unknown reasons they suddenly had to leave the country, without even having time to collect their stuff. The house is still filled with antiques from different eras, added to a modern twist.

• Location: 15 Ahmed Heshmat St. Zamalek
• Getting there: Careem/Uber (by metro it would take you forever as the station isn’t very close, but you can ride to the Opera Station, then take a 30-40 minutes walk or a Careem/Uber ride)
• Setting: Indoor space
• Other: it also hosts movie-screenings, poetry & open mic nights

5. AfriCairo أفريكايرو

A newly re-opened artspace in the heart of downtown where you can treat your sense to live music entertainment, or unleash the artistic beast inside you.

• Location: 2 Gamal Eldin Abol Mahasen, Garden City
• Getting there: by metro, the nearest station is Saad Zaghloul proceeded by a 7 minutes walk
• Setting: Indoor space
• Other: it also hosts music lessons, drum circles, karaoke, open jam & open mic nights, & workshops

6. 3elbt Alwan علبة ألوان

Located in the lively neighborhood in Cairo, my all time favorite; Zamalek.

• Location: Villa 13 Taha Hussein St., beside Portsaid school – Zamalek
• Getting there: Careem/Uber (by metro it would take you forever as the station isn’t very close, but you can ride to the Opera Station, then take a 30-40 minutes walk or a Careem/Uber ride)
• Setting: Indoor & outdoor
• Other: it also hosts karaoke nights & workshops

7. Egyptian Center for Culture and Arts – Makan

If you are coming to Cairo on a short visit, this is the perfect place to get a taste of Egyptian folk music. Makan is a unique spot, mainly focusing on preserving our rich Egyptian heritage of music & folklore, by showcasing it in a warm & cozy artspace located in the heart of Cairo, not only but also hosts musicians from all over the world to play their local fusions, along with ours to create one of a kind music tunes.

• Location: 1 Saad Zaghloul St. – Mounira
• Getting there: by metro, it’s a minute walk from the nearest subway station Saad Zaghloul
• Setting: A cozy indoor setting

8. El-Sawy Culture Wheel

A rubbish dump, and place for drug-addicts turned into a cultural center, at the beginning of the 21st century. This artspace was a place of many “now renowned” Egyptian bands such as; Wust El-Balad, Cairokee, etc to freely express their art.

• Location: 26th of July St., Zamalek
• Getting there: Careem/Uber (by metro it would take you forever as the station isn’t close by, but you can ride to the Opera Station, then take a 35-40 minutes walk or a Careem/Uber ride)
• Setting: Outdoor & indoor
• Other: it also hosts talks, seminars, fairs, workshops, art exhibitions, plays, and book signings

9. Institut Français d’Égypte

• Location: 1 Madrasset El Huquq El Frenseya, off Kasr El Eini St. – Mounira & 5 Shafik El Dib, Ard El Golf – Heliopolis
• Getting there: Mounira branch; by metro, the nearest station is Saad Zaghloul proceeded by an 8 minutes walk, as for the Heliopolis branch the easiest way is with Careem/Uber
• Setting: Outdoor & indoor
• Other: it also hosts talks, seminars, & movie screenings mostly in French

10. Magnolia Leaves of Art

A space to enjoy a cup of tea/coffee, some quiet time while reading from their variety of free books, to work, study or meet with friends, and also hosts concerts, plays, movie screenings and more.

• Location: 12 Mohamed Anis st., off Mohamed Mazhar st., ground floor, apartment no. 4. (in front of QNB) –  Zamalek
• Getting there: Careem/Uber (by metro it would take you forever as the station isn’t close by, but you can ride to the Opera Station, then take a 40 minutes walk or a Careem/Uber ride)
• Setting: Indoor
• Other: it also hosts talks, workshops, theatrical performances, and movie-screenings

11. Teatro El Maadi تياترو المعادي

• Location: 10, 200 Street, Degla – Maadi
• Getting there: by metro; the nearest station is Sakanat El-Maadi, proceeded by a 20 minutes walk
• Setting: Outdoor & indoor
• Other: it also hosts; a variety of workshops, movie-screenings, & yoga sessions

12. Tannoura Show at Wekalet El-Ghoury

The best way to end your tour of Islamic Cairo is to attend a whirling dervishes show -commonly referred to as Tannoura show, which literally means skirt show. The show happens every Saturday, Monday & Wednesday from 7:30 PM till 9:00 PM, costs LE 5 for Egyptians & LE 30 for foreigners. Try to show up around 6:30-7:00 PM so you would find empty seats, or a good spot to stand.

• Location: 3 Muhammad Abdou St. El-Darb El-Ahmar – Al-Azhar
• Getting there: by metro; the nearest subway station is Mohamed Naguib, proceeded by a 25-30 minutes walk
• Setting: Indoor

13. Yellow Umbrella

Only operates when an event is on.

• Location: Villa 6, next to Grandmall, Rooftop of Seedspace – Maadi
• Getting there: by metro; the nearest subway station is Maadi, proceeded by a 20-25 minutes walk
• Setting: Outdoor, it’s a rooftop of a villa
• Other: it also hosts; art exhitions, game & movie nights

14. Alrab3 الربع

• Location: Al-Tambaksheyaa, El-Gamaliya, Fatimid Cairo
• Getting there: via Careem/Uber
• Setting: semi outdoor
• Other: it also hosts music lessons, workshops, movie-screenings, talks and yoga sessions

15. The Marquee by Cairo Festival City

• Location: Cairo Festival City, New Cairo – Cairo
• Getting there: by metro; the nearest subway station is Bab El-Saaria proceeded by a 10-15 minutes walk
• Dress code: semi-formal
• Setting: indoor
• Other: it also hosts; plays, acts and shows

16. Cairo Opera House

The only place to watch classical music, opera acts, ballet, and orchestras, among other music performances from all over the world.

• Location: Ard El-Opera, Gezira Island – Zamalek
• Getting there: by metro; the nearest subway station is Opera
• Dress code: formal to semi-formal (not necessarily a suit, but no jeans, guys must wear a blazer, and a tie, as for women a cocktail dress will do)
• Setting: indoor

17. MUST Opera House

Doesn’t host the variety of shows that the Cairo Opera House does.

• Location: 26th of July Axis, beside Dar El-Fouad hospital, 6th of October city – Cairo
• Getting there: via Careem/Uber
• Dress code: semi-formal
• Setting: indoor

Any thoughts? Ideas? Have you got any other places in mind that you’d like to add to this list? Please share with us in the comments below.

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