Laylat Kawkab Al Sharq with Mai Farouk 2026 in Sharjah

Mai Farouk brings Laylat Kawkab Al Sharq to Sharjah on Saturday 19 December 2026, a concert at Al Majaz Amphitheatre devoted to the songs of Umm Kulthum, the legendary Egyptian singer known across the Arab world as Kawkab Al Sharq, the Star of the East. The show starts at 9pm under the open sky beside Khalid Lagoon, and the organisers promise that the spirit of Alf Leila Wa Leila, one of Umm Kulthum’s best-loved songs, will come alive on stage.

Mai Farouk: a voice from the Cairo Opera House

Mai Farouk is an Egyptian singer who came up through the Cairo Opera House, where she first appeared as a child and later became one of its best-known resident vocalists thanks to a powerful voice suited to the classical tarab repertoire. She has called the opera house her second home, and she has since gone on to an independent career, describing the venue as the first witness to her success and the place that introduced her to the public.

For many years her concerts were built on the songs of the great names of Arabic music: Umm Kulthum above all, but also Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Abdel Halim Hafez, Warda and Sabah. Only after more than 20 years on stage did she release her first album of original songs, Tarikhi, in 2025, a record she has described as a reflection of her artistic journey. Even so, she has said audiences still ask her for the classics as well as her own material.

Her tribute concerts have travelled widely. She has performed in Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia as well as Egypt, and she has said that her concerts in Saudi Arabia did much to widen her audience. In Kuwait she gave two nights of Alf Leila Wa Leila at the Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre as part of the Winter in Kuwait festival, and at the 59th Carthage International Festival in Tunisia she sang Umm Kulthum songs including Alf Leila Wa Leila and Enta Omri in a concert marking 50 years since the singer’s death.

Laylat Kawkab Al Sharq and the music of Umm Kulthum

Few voices have shaped Arabic music like Umm Kulthum’s. Her songs are woven into family memories across the region, passed from grandparents to grandchildren, and this evening sets out to revisit those timeless melodies in a live setting.

Alf Leila Wa Leila, or A Thousand and One Nights, the song at the centre of the night’s billing, was first performed in 1969. It was written by Morsi Gamil Aziz and composed by Baligh Hamdi, and it completed a trio of songs by the same team that began with Seret El Hob and continued with Fat El Ma’ad. In its original concert form it runs to around 50 minutes, moving through several musical sections, which gives a good sense of the long, unhurried style of tarab singing that Mai Farouk is known for. The full programme for the night has not been published, but expect the evening to draw on the classics that made Umm Kulthum the Star of the East.

Al Majaz Amphitheatre on Khalid Lagoon

Al Majaz Amphitheatre opened on 26 March 2014 on Al Majaz Island in the heart of Khalid Lagoon. Its semicircular, open-air design is inspired by the amphitheatres of ancient Rome, and it seats around 4,500 people, so the tiered rows give good sightlines to the stage and the music carries well across the bowl. The building covers 7,238 square metres, and it has become one of Sharjah’s main venues for concerts, educational events and community gatherings, welcoming more than 25,000 visitors in 2018 alone.

Parking for this concert is at the Al Layyah Suburb Government Building parking area, with shuttle buses running between there and the amphitheatre. Doors open at 7:30pm and close at 9pm, when the show begins, so latecomers may not be admitted. The ticket page also notes special arrangements for People of Determination card holders and their carers.

Who the Umm Kulthum tribute in Sharjah suits

This is an evening for anyone who loves classic Arabic song, from lifelong Umm Kulthum devotees to younger listeners who know the songs from family gatherings and want to hear them performed live by one of the voices most associated with them today. It makes a meaningful night out with parents or grandparents. Children over three need their own seat and ticket, all children must be accompanied by a parent, and the organisers suggest ear defenders for little ones.

For a full weekend of Arabic music, the 90’s Show in Abu Dhabi brings Mohamed Fouad, Ehab Tawfik and Hisham Abbas to Space42 Arena the night before. Browse our concerts guide for more live music, and see things to do in Sharjah and things to do in December for the rest of the month.