Cairo Design Week: Egypt’s Largest Design Event Launches in Heliopolis

For the first time, Heliopolis will be transformed into a massive design festival for the inaugural edition of Cairo Design Week from November 19th to November 25th, covering its bustling boulevards and timeless buildings with contemporary art and design installations. Cairo Design Week will feature all things design, from vibrant fashion and design districts to art fairs and exhibitions all spread across the neighbourhood’s historic streets and iconic venues, with apartments and shops opening their doors to immerse design lovers in a unique cultural experience.

With the opening event due to take place at an unannounced landmark, Hisham Mahdy, president of the first Cairo Design Week and founder of Cairo Design Award, invited some of Egypt’s most influential platforms to join this endeavour. Individual artists and designers, as well as studios, will be given a platform to express their vision through installations and exhibitions.

Drawing designers from all over Egypt to engage in a creative marathon, the Cairo Designathon will display the work of hundreds of designers working in unison. An area dedicated to fashion, meanwhile, will showcase unique pieces curated from the country’s most dazzling brands.

Online design platform Esorus will help bridge designers with suppliers, while furniture design platform Designdustry will bring product designers and manufacturers closer through workshops to explore nuanced furniture themes.

The Egyptian International Art Fair will host hundreds of artworks for guests to admire, including the eloquent curations of art gallery Odyssey. Meanwhile, photography hub Photopia will open its doors to enthusiasts of imagery and still artforms.

Creative Industry Summit has been bringing creative minds together for the past 14 years, and during Cairo Design Week, it will set up a space dedicated to dialogue, where promising creative entrepreneurs can get together and learn from one another. Aimed at sparking conversations around design and its impact, De-Forum will host talks all day long in another building with experts tackling different topics and themes.

As design enthusiasts go from one engaging activation to another, they will be encouraged to grab some popcorn and find a seat at the event’s film screenings as Cairo-based film festival, Film My Design, continues to document the creative processes that helped bring inspiring designs to life.

With highly-curated showcases of established, high-profile designers and up-and-coming young talents keen on becoming tomorrow’s big names, Cairo Design Week gives them all the opportunity to expand their audiences and build stronger networks while Heliopolis is engulfed by a diverse wealth of design.

Photography Credit: Andrew Shenouda