How to celebrate Eid Al-Adha 2018 in Cairo

The four days of Eid Al-Adha are a fun time for all, celebrated with family, friends, and neighbors. The festival is a time of sacrifice and the sacrificed animals, adhiya, are shared between the immediate family, neighbors and those less fortunate.

The meat is usually turned into fattah bel mozah. The meal of mutton in a butter-rich sauce served on rice with fried pita bread, is a ritual that keeps most people home on the first day of “Eid al-Kabir”. After that, the meat rush continues for the next few days, with breakfasts of fried liver and lunches of Ro’ a’ (a crispy pie filled with minced meat) or, of course, lamb cutlets.
With many of Cairo’s key attractions closed for the first day of the Eid holiday and on shorter opening hours thereafter, much of the fun happens in the streets. Still, that’s a good place to show off your best clothes.

Local communities put on street performers or host traveling fairgrounds – it’s not Eid without visiting one of those. Balloons, lanterns and other lights are everywhere, while storytellers entertain with traditional tales and puppeteer or magicians attract their own crowds of enthralled children.

The square at Moustafa Mahmoud Mosque – the biggest plaza in Egypt – is packed every evening with families, friends, and vendors selling everything from balloons to candyfloss. Young men will let off fireworks or put on dancing shows as everyone joins in the fun.

Public parks such as Al Azhar Park, with its views over the city, are also packed with those enjoying the holiday. The gardens are at the best at this time, having been cleaned up for the holiday. Giza Zoo is another place that does well from this family occasion. And Egyptians from outside Cairo flock to the Giza Pyramids to see them for themselves, making for a very different crowd to the usual foreign tourists.

With everyone dressed up, now is the time to take family photos and selfies in front of the sights, or the lights that illuminate mosques and other public buildings. The lights of the city make for a great photo backdrop from River Nile Corniche as well. A great way to see them at their best is from a boat cruise or felucca ride, or from one of Cairo’s floating nightclubs and restaurants.

The major hotels along the waterfront are also buzzing with grand buffets and events to mark the holiday season. Naturally, with lots of new films out for Eid, cinemas are crowded too.

Eid Mubarak!

Eid 2018 starts on the evening of Tuesday, August 21 and ends on Friday 24 August 2018.

You can check all of Cairo’s cinema listings here
Find the latest Eid al-Adha programmes here: