Egypt set to gain raft of new entertainment venues
Egypt is constructing more than 20 new entertainment and sports venues, in a bid to host a future sporting event.
Arena-sized venues are scant in the north African nation, with Cairo’s Indoor Halls Stadium Complex the only real option for indoor shows.
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, the Arabic country 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, according to the Global Arena Guide 2024.
The Egypt International Olympic City also includes a 15,000-seat indoor hall
The new area includes Egypt’s now-largest stadium, the 93,940-capacity New Administrative Capital Stadium, which opened in January.
The stadium hosted its first match – a friendly between Egypt and New Zealand – on 22 March 2024.
The Egypt International Olympic City also includes a 15,000-seat indoor hall, which 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.
Other acts that have previously performed at the location include Maroon 5 (2022), Black Eyed Peas (2021) and Red Hot Chili Peppers (2019).
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Anghami to open venues in Middle East, UK, US
Anghami, the largest music streaming service in the Middle East and north Africa (Mena), has announced plans to open music venues in Dubai, Riyadh and several other Middle Eastern cities, as well as in the UK and North America.
Lebanon-based Anghami, which is preparing for a flotation on New York’s Nasdaq market, has partnered with hospitality company Addmind to launch Anghami Lab, an “innovative entertainment venue” concept which will debut in Dubai in early 2022. According to the companies, Anghami Lab will bridge the worlds of live and digital music, its live stage being joined by a studio where performers can create “music inspired by both Arabic and international cultures” which will then be made available to listen back exclusively on Anghami.
In addition, new features will be added to the Anghami app “complementing both experiences”, say the new partners.
“This is a great opportunity to further reinforce the value we provide digitally to be converged offline in a unique user-to-guest experience”
Eddy Maroun, co-founder and CEO of Anghami, says: “We are excited to partner with Addmind to create this unique, transformational experience for our users. Addmind is a leading expert in conceptualising and operating hospitality spaces, and this is a great opportunity to further reinforce the value we provide digitally to be converged offline in a unique user-to-guest experience.”
Following the opening of the Dubai venue, further Anghami Labs are planned for Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, then Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Cairo (Egypt), Beirut (Lebanon), London, New York and Los Angeles.
“Anghami is more than just a streaming platform,” comments Tony Habre, CEO of Addmind. “They have elevated the value of the music industry in the Middle East as a whole. Anghami Lab is an amazing and unique concept that embodies our rich Arab culture with an international twist, which we are thrilled to bring to fruition and scale.”
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