By Salma El-Sakka
The Starlight Festival, a two-day electronic music event held at the Giza Pyramids, showcased a youthful, confident Egypt blending global culture with ancient heritage. Organized by Serbia's EXIT festival and Egyptian promoters P+US and Venture Lifestyle, the festival drew thousands of local and international revellers to dance beneath the illuminated monuments.
A festival beneath ancient monuments
World-renowned DJs including Adriatique, Pete Tong, Michael Bibi and Charlotte de Witte performed as light shows transformed the pyramids into a backdrop of geometric patterns. The crowd, a mix of Egyptians and visitors, wore fashion ranging from linen and gold jewellery to Y2K-inspired outfits, many displaying ancient Egyptian tattoos such as the Eye of Horus and scarab beetles.
EXIT's journey from Serbia to Egypt
EXIT founder Dušan Kovačević said the festival marked the first full-scale, multi-day event staged at the pyramids. EXIT began 25 years ago amid student protests against Slobodan Milošević and was later driven out of Serbia after supporting anti-government demonstrators. The invitation to bring the festival to Giza represented a new chapter for the organisation.
Egyptian ambitions for live entertainment
Rabih Mokbel, founder of Egyptian events company Venture Lifestyle, said Egypt aims to establish its own identity on the international live-entertainment circuit rather than replicate Ibiza or Dubai. He emphasized turning the country's global recognition into a sustainable industry with local expertise and a year-round calendar of events.
Challenges and local eccentricities
Staging the festival required negotiations with authorities and cooperation with Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, with organisers stressing respect for the site's heritage. Outside the venue, taxi logistics remained chaotically improvised, reflecting Cairo's enduring street-level energy.
A new generation embraces heritage
Young Egyptians expressed pride in showcasing a side of their country rarely seen in conventional tourism. A bartender at the festival, aspiring to be a footballer or doctor, added that the event inspired him to consider becoming a DJ. For visitors, the combination of world-class electronic music and humanity's greatest surviving monuments offered a unique experience that suggests Egypt's next great attraction may be the culture flourishing in the pyramids' shadow.
