Not sure what to do this weekend? With a few cultural festivals happening, besides the regular set of culture events, you will not be bored. Ahram Online compiles its recommendations for the weekend (11-14 October) Thursday 11 October First "International Day of the Girl Child," Citadel, Cairo at 6pm The first-ever International Day of the Girl Child will be observed on 11 October 2012, as designated by the UN General Assembly.Expect the Pyramids of Giza and Citadel to turn pink, honouring the official launching of the Because I am a Girl global campaign by Plan International. Citadel, Large Museum Music Night with Baheya Band in Photopia at 7pm Baheya is made up of a group of musicians who met at the Occupy Cabinet sit-in during the months of November and December 2011 where they were singing the revolutionary songs of Sayid Darwish and Sheikh Imam, music which continues to reflect the revolutionary spirit of Egypt's streets. 15 El-Somal Street, Korba, Heliopolis, Cairo Hungarian and Danish Circus Troupes in El-Geneina Theater at 8pm Part of the second week of the Cairo International Circus Festival CirCairo, performing Groups Fire Birds (Hungary), Goldi (Hungary) and Circus Multicirkus (Denmark) are set to take the stage on Thursday. Check the full programme of the festival here. Al Azhar Park, Salah Salem Rd. Darassa, Cairo Dina El-Wadidi concert in El-Sawy Culturewheel at 8pm The talented young independent artist Dina El-Wadidi is one of the leading female singers in Egypt's current underground music scene. She has worked with several musicians and composers, including the most notable Fathy Salama. Read more on Dina El-Wadidi here. Wisdom Hall, 26 July Street, Zamalek, Cairo Artbeat Festival in Shagaret El-Dor Park, Mansoura at 4pm The festival kicks off in a public park in Mansoura and will take place in several venues in Mansoura, Cairo and Alexandria. The event will feature Pro 9 and 050 Bands from Mansoura, along with performances by Mellow Maroc (Germany), Romano Bebop (Czech Republic), 6 Spoons 1 Kitchen (Holland), and 5/8erl in Ehr'n (Austria), along with a Bazaar and several visual arts exhibitions and installations. Shagaret El Dor Park, Mansoura Friday 12 October Artbeat Festival 2012 in Darb 1718 at 4pm The festival hosts its second event in Cairo, with an Open Mic organised by Mashrou' El Mareekh, aiming to encourage people to express themselves in 5 minutes, and an electro music performance by Neobyrd. There are also several exhibitions in place. One exhibition to be displayed is in commemoration of the revolution's martyr Ahmed Basiony and other artists. Kasr El Shame'e Street, Al Fakhareen, behind the Hanging Church and Amr Mosque Artbeat Festival 2012 in Lycee El-Horreya Club, Alexandria at 4pm The festival takes place in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria with a series of music performances by Masar Egbari, Wasla and Storm Bands from Alexandria, along with Mellow Maroc (Germany), Scala Nobile (Switzerland), and D'Callaos (Spain). The event also features a dance performance by Yumino Seki (Japan), a video documentary - "Dear Mr. President" by Jean-luc Marchina (Switzerland) and an art installation by Ahmed Atef. 119 Alexander the Great Street, El Shatby, Alexandria Film Screening of "Waltz with Beshir" in Sufi Bookstore at 7pm The Oscar Winning German animation film, produced in 2008, tells the story of an Israeli soldier who attempts to reconstruct his memory of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. 12 Sayid El Bakry Street, Zamalek, Cairo CirCairo performances in El-Falaky Theater at 8pm Tonight's Performing Group is Cie. Morosof (France). Check the full programme of the festival here. 24 El Falaki Street, Off Mohamed Mahmoud St. American University in Cairo (Downtown Campus), Cairo Saturday 13 October El-Ghouri Tanoura Group in Wekalet El-Ghouri at 7.30pm Expect traditional dance, vibrant music and colourful performances by El-Ghouri Dance Group this Saturday. They play every Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. 3 Mohamed Abdou Street, behind Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo 'W Hala' La Wein' film screening in Bikya Bookstore at 8pm The 2011 Lebanese film by Nadine Labaki 'W Hala' La Wein' [Where do we go from here?] tells the story of a small obscure village in Lebanon, set at some point during the civil war, where Muslims and Christians used to live side by side until they started hearing of the events in the country. The women of the village try to ease the religious tensions in the most creative ways. For Ahram Online's review of the film, click here. 23 Dr Zaki Hassan Street, off El Nasr Street, Nasr City, Cairo 'The Virus is Spreading' by Ganzeer in Safarkhan Gallery Ongoing till 1 November, the exhibition by Mohamed Fahmy (Ganzeer) brings the politically driven energy of the street to the exhibition space. Other Cairo artists contribute to the work hanging on the walls of the first floor adjacent. Each of their paintings stands alone but together they contribute to the spread of the "virus." The second floor of the gallery features traditional - yet progressive - framed works. Check out Ahram Online photo gallery here. 6 Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo '8 Bit Portraits' by Ahmed El Shaer in Mashrabia Gallery The artist's first solo exhibition immortalises some of Egypt's iconic culture figures through the old 8-bit imagery of video games like Atari. 8 Champillion Street, Downtown, Cairo Cairo Symphony Orchestra in Cairo (and Alexandria) The Cairo Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jiří Petrdlík and with soloist Yasser El Sefari, will perform works by Czech composers on Saturday 13 October in Cairo and Sunday 14 October in Alexandria. Both concerts start at 8pm. More info here Sunday 14 October TransDance 2012 performance in the British Council at 5pm The evening will feature two performances: one by Lilibeth Cuenca performing Reenactment Nights, the other by Deborah Stokes performing a Silent Solo. For TransDance 2012 festival's full programme, click here. British Council garden, 192 El Nil St., Agouza, Giza 'Generations I' by various artists in Picasso Art Gallery Generations 1, an exhibition that showcases the work of 35 visual artists that vary in style and experience, features sixty-five artworks, paintings, and sculptures by Egyptian artists from across the generations are displayed side-by-side in this ambitious exhibition. Artists include renowned names such as Samir Fouad, Zeinab Khalil, Walid Yassin and Mohamed El-Sharkawy, among many others. 30 Hassan Assem Street, from Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo Basiony exhibition in Darb 1718 at 7pm Shady El-Noshokaty puts on installations of his work in several venues in Cairo to commemorate the revolution's fallen artist Basiony. Tonight, the opening of installations of sound and visual shows will be shown at Darb 1718 (ongoing till 20 November). Read more here. Kasr El-Sham3 Street, Al-Fakhareen, Old Cairo, Cairo, Egypt Follow Arts and Culture updates on Twitter: @AhramOnlineArts and on our Facebook page: Ahram Online: Arts and Culture http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/55287.aspx
