Temperatures are dropping in Dubai, which can only mean one thing: music festivals. Lots and lots of music festivals.
Next week, we’ve got the inaugural Arabic alternative festival Al Wasla (Jadal, Mashrou Leila) and in February, we have RedFestDXB (G-Eazy, Demi Lovato) and Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival (Enrique Iglesias, Mariah Carey).
But first: Cairo Sound Music Festival, a newcomer on the scene that is open to all ages, taking place on January 13 at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre.
From 4pm until 1am, Egyptian acts Cairokee, Sharmoofers, Massar Egbari, Khalid Hussain and Mustafa Gazzal will take to the stage, providing an antidote to mainstream Arabic music — a brand of rebellion that fans can connect to without pretence.
“The lyrics these bands write are different, the art that they create is different than what is traditional, different than the usual stars and entertainment. They’re close to the people — their words touch hearts directly, and they deal with daily struggles,” said event founder Ahmad Ganem.
Ganem works with Hi Wave Events, which has been holding events in the Middle East for the past 20 years, including concerts by Cheb Khalid, Abba and David Guetta.
Regional scene
This a more regional effort, with ticket statistics showing interest from more than ten nationalities, including people from across the GCC.
“These bands are very famous now in Egypt. They have millions of fans on Facebook. They’ve never come before to the UAE,” said Ganem.
“They hold a lot of concerts, individually. The idea is to collect all these bands in one night. It’s very impressive and I think that the idea has been a hit with the fans.”
Going forward, Ganem and his team plans to hold four to six events every year under the umbrella of Cairo Sound, though they won’t be restricted to Egyptian musicians.
“We’ve been working on this for nine months. Preparations for an event this size are very important,” said Ganem.
““We think of every small detail. There was a [woman] who was asking for a changing room for her baby, for example. We’ve added that – our flexibility is high and we want everyone to be satisfied,” he said
“You won’t have to wait long for the superstar you’re waiting for, like you would at a traditional event. Doors open at 4pm — after that, the party has already begun.”
*Tickets to Cairo Sound Music Festival are Dh195-Dh525, available online.
