Starlight Festival Makes Historic Debut at the Great Pyramids of Giza

EXIT and P+US, which is Venture Lifestyle’s electronic music platform, brought the inaugural Starlight Festival to Egypt on Oct. 9 and 10 with the Great Pyramids of Giza serving as the backdrop.

The sold-out event was the first multi-day, multi-stage electronic music festival staged at Giza, drawing over 60 international and regional artists alongside attendees from 114 countries. Organizers stated that it was also the largest electronic music event held at the historic site since Jean-Michel Jarre performed a concert there in 1999.

Charlotte de Witte, a techno heavyweight from Belgium, made her Egyptian debut on a lineup that featured Michael Bibi, Adriatique, Indira Paganotto, Enrico Sangiuliano, Vintage Culture, Pete Tong, and WhoMadeWho.

Charlie Sparks, BIIA, Layla Benitez, Paolo Ferrara, and Olympe performed on EXIT’s No Sleep stage, while Satori and Giolì & Assia delivered live performances during the weekend. Sila Sveta, a multimedia studio, designed the visual production using elaborate lighting and optical illusions to make the pyramids appear as though they were floating above the stage.

Starlight also served as the final stop on an eight-event international tour for EXIT, which brought the Serbian festival across Europe and into Egypt after it left its longtime home following public support for student-led protests in Serbia.

“In the year we could not gather at home, we found ourselves bringing people together in front of the greatest wonder of the ancient world,” stated EXIT founder and CEO Dušan Kovačević.

The festival highlighted the growing significance of music tourism as international audiences travel for experiences that merge music, culture, and destination.

“An extraordinary location should deepen the experience, rather than become a substitute for it,” Kovačević noted, adding that club culture and electronic music will stay central to the identity of Starlight.

Rabih Mokbel, founder and CEO of Venture Lifestyle, viewed the partnership as a way to position Egypt as a serious contender in the international festival market. “It shows that Egypt has the potential to host world-class festivals that can compete on an international level, not just because of the artists or production, but because of the destination itself,” he stated.

Mokbel emphasized the necessity of pairing regional artists with established international performers to help local talent reach broader audiences. “If we want the regional music industry to continue growing, we need to create more opportunities like this, where local talent can be part of the global conversation rather than watching it from the sidelines,” he said.

Organizers confirmed that Starlight will return on Nov. 5 and 6, 2027.

Kovačević stated that the long-term goal extends past ticket sales and international recognition to establish a recurring cultural event that yields lasting opportunities for Egypt’s artists, production professionals, and creative economy.

“Becoming an annual gathering that people travel to Egypt specifically to experience, and that brings real value to the people hosting it, would be a success worth building on,” he said.