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El Sawy Culture Wheel

The El Sawy culture wheel is Egypt's representative cultural center run by the El-Sawy Family Foundation.


Where It is located in a central spot, at the south-western end of "26th of July Street" in Zamalek, between the Nile River and a mosque.
Shows All sorts of Egyptian and non-Egyptian performances imaginable, except for what you might see at the Opera House.
Tickets The box office at the entrance is staffed by good English speakers, but sorry, no online sales.
Cost From US$2 to US$20, depending on artists and discounts.
Times Show times vary from 6pm to 9pm, but most start at 8pm.
Dining A concession stand sells beverages and chocolate bars. There are many restaurants and cafes near El-Sawy, like the restaurant right next door.
English The box office people speak English well. Other staff members speak some English.
Patrons Most patrons are young Egyptians in their 20's with some mature locals and some expats.
Smoking A non-smoking policy is strictly observed.
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The El Sawy Culture Wheel is a large cultural center in Zamalek, and at two more locations. The Zamalek center consists of a few small and large auditoriums and class rooms as well as a patio with book dealers and accessory vendors.

The River Hall is the largest half-covered outdoor venue, with a fire seating capacity of 1,500 including 750 seats – but it looks like more people can fit in. The River Hall is the venue for very popular shows. The Wisdom Hall is a medium-sized indoor auditorium with 500 seats, and this is where most concerts take place.

If you plan to attend a few concerts during your stay, it is more economical to pay a small annual membership fee to become a member so that you can take advantage of member discounts. Students can also enjoy student discounts on tickets.

El-Sawy's musician lineup is basically the same as the Cairo Jazz Club and the After Eight, as described below. If you stay in Cairo for a few days, it may be possible to see most of the best-known pop groups by going to all of El Sawy and two other clubs (Inshaallah) as the show times are all different among these venues and the night traffic in downtown area is not bad at all.

El Sawy also presents Arab traditional music concerts with more traditional configurations of about ten musicians.