El-Gouna was teeming with people for last weekend's Eid Al-Fitr celebrations, all looking to escape the big city smog and recharge their batteries in the sun, sea and sand. And among the holidaymakers there was no shortage of partygoers looking to dance away the night at the resorts' many bars and clubs. Some, like those who attended Heat Two of the Heineken "Thirst Competition , did not even wait until nightfall to get their party started. Heineken opened the doors to their glorious, makeshift venue no later than 2 pm. Located on a sandy expanse looking out over the Red Sea at the tip of El-Gouna's Abu Tig Marina, and equipped with state-of-the-art sound system, dance floor, bars and seating areas, revelers coming from Cairo could hardly have dreamed up a better place to party. They were here to see three of Egypt's most promising DJs battle it out for a place in the final round of the Heineken Thirst Competition, the winner of which will get the chance to spin their tracks alongside the legendary DJ Roger Sanchez and play in one of Amsterdam's - and Europe's - biggest nightclubs. Three familiar names in Egypt's clubbing circuit Amir Sharara, Mohamed 'Tata' Tarek, and Hisham Zahran, took to the turntables over the course of the day, and were joined by a fourth, the competition's indomitable Master of Ceremonies and Latex club manager, Mark Power. As the venue filled up so did the dance floor, and one after the other the contestants spun out a wide range of progressive house music - the competition's music of choice. The most experienced contender, Amir Sharara, won out in the end. Sharara has played all of Egypt's biggest clubs and many of Europe's too. "Of course I would love to DJ with Roger Sanchez, he said after his performance. "But I'm just as excited to get the chance to play in Amsterdam. That would be incredible. Sharara will join Heat 1 winner DJ Cheetos, and the winner of Heat 3 in the final round. The locations of both will be announced by Heineken in the near future.
