Top 5 Weekend Picks

The summer season is over, the food stands have left the North coast and it's officially time for back to school, back to work and other depressing things. However, it doesn't have to be back to the same old routine with these events to keep the fun in your life and get your creative juices flowing. If you claim that art is expensive and requires maneuvering through sophisticated galleries and understanding even more sophisticated artspeak, then you're largely correct. But this weekend at the Mashrabia Garage Sale you can explore art in a more casual setting - and buy it too, starting at the price of a snack at Costa. Curated by Mashrabia Gallery, this unconventional sale goes through the venue's 25 years of history and includes artworks, art books, magazines, posters and postcards. Have a drink and browse the selection that ranges from 100 to 5,000 LE for artworks. The sale starts Thursday, October 1 at 7pm and goes until October 8, daily from 11am to 8pm Mashrabia Gallery, 8 Champollion St., downtown See the event's Facebook page here. Basheer takes the lively folk music of Upper Egypt and gives it a steadier, dancier beat, sometimes jazzing it up with a saxophone and always keeping it interesting without losing the feel of the original. Catch his show at the Cairo Jazz Club after the long break, or listen to a sample on YouTube here. Saturday, October 3 at 10:30pm Cairo Jazz Club, 197 26th of July St. See the event's Facebook page here. The four-day CairoComix Festival includes seminars, film screenings, book signings and the launch of a new phone app called Comics Kiosk. On the final day, there will be events for children and a workshop with illustrator Walid Naif. Wednesday, September 30 to October 3 The American University in Cairo, Tahrir Campus See the event's Facebook page here. This book launch of Discovering Downtown Cairo: Architecture and Stories (English with Arabic translation,) is very timely as the area is getting more popular interest. The book's two editors, Vittoria Capresi and Barbara Pampe, will present this volume that documents the 19th-20th century heritage of the district along with detailed architectural plans and stories of the inhabitants. Register ahead for the 4pm walking tour of downtown where the two editors will show you their best-of buildings and stories. Friday, October 2 at 7pm (walking tours from 4-6pm) Goethe-Institut, 5 El Bustan St., downtown See the event's Facebook page here. One of the world's top art curators, Simon Njami, will lead a talk that will kick off the Darb 1718 Exclusive Artwork Collection Exhibition. The exhibit will feature prominent artists from Egypt and around the world in painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media and more. Njami will also be the main curator of Something Else, Off Biennale Cairo, a one-month event in November set to include exhibits and performances showcasing local and international talent. Opens September 30 at 7pm Darb 1718, Kasr El Shama St., Fustat (near the Mar Girgis metro station) See the event's Facebook page here.