Market Report: Egypt

The site of many legendary shows in the shadow of the Great Pyramids of Giza – Metro Boomin sold out his one-off performance there in May, while recent shows there have included The Black Eyed Peas, Maroon 5, and Red Hot Chili Peppers – Egypt has seen concert activity drop off in the past year due to its proximity to the Israel-Gaza conflict, as major tours route around the region.

That said, the drop in revenue hasn’t been devastating to the market, and on the near horizon are big plans for the country’s sport and concert infrastructure.

Primary ticketing
With only one significant arena hub in the country (Cairo’s Stadium Indoor Halls Complex, used mainly for sporting events), the larger international ticket agencies have focussed more on Dubai, leaving local players such as online marketplace TicketsMarche (which allows users to create their own events to sell on-platform), Collard Tickets, and Venflare’s TicketEgypt site to cater to the lively domestic Egyptian market.

Secondary ticketing
Tixawy is the primary resell platform here, promising the most secure fan-to-fan option.

International/domestic splits & genres
Although big electronic shows from around the world are popular, few big-name international tours are currently hitting Egypt, so the domestic, often traditional-based acts dominate. The best-selling Middle Eastern artist Amr Diab toured the country extensively this year.

Cultural analysis
Live event activity in Egypt looks set to boom in the coming years as the government is building an entirely new administrative capital 30 miles west of Cairo in a bid to host a future global sporting event such as the Olympics or FIFA World Cup. This new urban district will include over 20 new sports and entertainment venues, and the first stadium – the 94,000-capacity New Administrative Capital Stadium – is due to open in January.

Taxes & fees
The Egyptian government’s 2023 bill to amend the entertainment tax laws has added a 5% tax on event tickets, while VAT is 14%.

Country Profile: Egypt

Egypt’s live music scene has seen both setbacks and developments over the years, particularly with international acts. Moussa AbuTaleb, owner of Event House Egypt, reflects on a time when performances by artists like Scorpions and Maroon 5 were thwarted by the political unrest of 2011.

“We had to refund everything,” he says. Since then, Egypt has earned global attention for its electronic music scene, though there is still a noticeable dearth of live opportunities, especially for international mainstream acts.

“We don’t have proper arenas. Usually, we build [temporary venues] for international acts, especially when they want to perform by the pyramids,” AbuTaleb explains. The logistical demands of constructing custom stages make organising these events costly and time-consuming. On the bright side, Egypt has established a solid technical infrastructure to support high-quality events. “From a technical perspective, we have good equipment and support in Egypt that can allow any artist to come here,” he says.

“We don’t have proper arenas. Usually, we build [temporary venues] for international acts, especially when they want to perform by the pyramids”

However, the financial implications of hosting international acts remain a major headache. Competing for acts with the wealthier Gulf nations means it cannot afford the high fees that artists charge in those countries. “Artists sometimes think Egypt is part of the Middle East, and they ask for crazy prices like they would in Dubai or Saudi,” AbuTaleb says. Adding to that, the market has a painfully high 25% entertainment tax and 14% VAT, meaning nearly 40% of ticket sales are consumed by taxes. This makes it difficult for promoters to offer competitive prices or break even. “Our currency devaluation and these taxes make it so much harder to host international acts,” AbuTaleb admits.

Despite these hurdles, electronic music has become Egypt’s calling card on the global stage. Festivals featuring DJs such as Keinemusik have been highly successful, with events at iconic locations drawing huge crowds. “Keinemusik sold more than 12,000 tickets, with prices ranging from $150 to $1,500,” AbuTaleb says, noting that audiences don’t mind paying premium prices for such events.

“It’s all digital here”

When it comes to marketing, digital platforms have proven to be the most effective. “It’s all digital here,” AbuTaleb asserts. This is preceded by careful artist selection, with AbuTaleb working closely with ticketing partners who conduct research to gauge demand and pricing strategies.

AbuTaleb is eager to work with managers and agents to build internationall artists’ presence in Egypt as part of a long-term strategy but has noticed that, “Egypt is not on the plan usually,” and often gets overlooked in favour of more established markets. He says the country’s promoters face an uphill battle convincing acts to make Egypt a regular stop.

Meanwhile, local appetite for live music is growing. “Our local acts have been doing very well. We have three or four artists who usually sell more than 20,000 tickets,” AbuTaleb reports.

In addition to Event House, other key promoters bringing international acts to Egypt include Nacelle and Dino Activations.

Arena Market: Egypt

Arena-sized venues are scant in the north African nation, with the only real option for indoors being Cairo’s Indoor Halls Stadium Complex. Located near the Cairo International Stadium (75,000), the complex boasts four distinct halls, with capacities ranging up to 16,920 in the main hall, known as The Covered Hall.

However, that’s set to change very soon. Egypt is building a new urban district (New Administrative Capital) 30 miles west of densely populated Cairo, in an effort to construct a new capital city. In a bid to host a future sporting event, like the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup, over 20 new entertainment and sports venues are being constructed in the Egypt International Olympic City district. The new area includes Egypt’s now-largest stadium, the 93,940-capacity New Administrative Capital Stadium, opening in January. A new 15,000-seat indoor hall is part of the plans, according to The Sun newspaper, and could potentially serve as the answer to the lack of arena-level venues in the country.

Meanwhile, many A-level artists turn to outdoor shows at the Great Pyramids of Giza, with Metro Boomin selling out his one-off performance at the World Wonder in May.