Oshtoora Music and Arts Festival is Camping Out In Fayoum

Have you ever caught yourself running – back to your house, the café where your friends were, or away from your lecture hall – at an unprecedented (and uncalled for) speed without knowing why? The reason might actually be more fascinating (and a little sadder) than you think. Maybe the heart of the matter is that you need a break. Maybe you need to ditch the hamster wheel of daily obligations and unwind. Maybe you should realise and respect that your mind needs a rest and that its cry for help is just as legitimate as any other. And since whatever activity you might propose at the moment will be an overdone and now overly familiar one, we’re proposing something refreshingly new that will not only take your mind off things, but recharge it with clean and invigorating content. How about a music and arts camp in Fayoum, buzzing with all kinds of beautiful people and chill artists? Yes, such a heaven actually exists on Earth; namely, in Egypt.

Oshtoora, a music and arts festival, is a participatory gathering that picks a different location in the country every year as a camping site - this year, they're camping out in Fayoum. Oshtoora, according to their website, is “a collective of like minded initiatives. An ongoing experiment. The festival is inspired by nature in both its design and operation.” The festival includes intimate music performances, during which the dividing line between the musicians and the audience dissolves as they both meet and collaborate. Jamming in the desert doesn’t really sound like a bad idea, now, does it?

Oshtoora is not limited to music, though; visual arts also make up a good portion of the incredible festival showcasing location-specific pieces, giving artists the opportunity to not only interact with their viewers, but also with their physical location. Of course, it goes without saying that the initiative includes performing arts and cinema sections.

To our thrill, Oshtoora has just announced the lineup of the incredible artists who will be participating in the festival. Hailing from all over Arab countries, as well as international ones, all kinds of artists will sure be impressing you in the festival's chill desert atmosphere, with names like Egypt's Masters of Funk and Switzerland's Sandrine Pelletier.

So, if you’re finding yourself running (away), why not make a run for Fayoum?

Make sure to register for Oshtoora, which will be taking place on the 28^th of this month till May 2^nd.

For more about the festival, be sure to check out their website as well as their Facebook page.