Venue
Not confirmed yet. Please check with the organiser before you go.
{{item.title}}
Revolution Day, Egypt's National Day guide
The 1952 revolution, seventy-five years on.
In short
Revolution Day on 23 July is a fixed national holiday, a Friday in 2027 and the 75th anniversary, though the observed day off is sometimes moved. It suits travellers interested in modern Egyptian history, best explored through Cairo and Alexandria's palace museums and Nasser's former house. Expect flags and patriotic music, and heavy domestic travel.
Revolution Day is Egypt's national day, the anniversary of the 1952 army takeover that ended the monarchy of King Farouk and set the country on the road to a republic. It is the largest secular holiday in the Egyptian calendar, marked with flags, speeches, parades and a great deal of patriotic music.
For travellers it is less a spectacle to attend than a moment to understand. The story of 1952 runs through modern Cairo and Alexandria, from palaces turned museums to the house where Gamal Abdel Nasser lived. It also lands in the hottest, busiest weeks of the Egyptian summer, when half the country seems to be heading for the beach.
–/5
No reviews yet
Been to this event? Your review helps other travellers.
Key Facts & Stats:
Where: Egypt
Held: Every year
Type of event: National Day
Currency: Egyptian pound (EGP, E£)
Time zone: Eastern European Time, UTC+2 (UTC+3 in summer)
Language: Arabic
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Coping with summer heat in Cairo and Upper Egypt
Cairo and Upper Egypt are fiercely hot in late July, and dehydration creeps up on you; thirst is a poor early warning. Keep out of direct sun from about 10:00 to 16:00 and schedule the pyramids and open-air temples for first thing in the morning.
- Carry water everywhere and drink before you feel thirsty.
- Wear a wide hat and sunglasses, and reapply sunscreen, which loses effect as you sweat.
- Loose, light clothing that covers shoulders and knees is both cooler and more appropriate than shorts and vests.
Photography restrictions near security sites
Photographing military sites, police and official buildings is restricted in Egypt every day of the year, and security is more visible around national-day events. Keep your camera on the flags and decorations, not on soldiers or checkpoints.
- Drones are strictly prohibited without a permit that is very hard to get, and can be confiscated on arrival.
- Ask before photographing people.
- Stand if the national anthem plays at an event, and treat the flag with respect.
- Politics remains a sensitive subject. Keep conversation about the day light.
What happens on the day
- Evening of 22 July
Presidential address
The president usually addresses the nation on television on the eve; channels fill with patriotic songs, documentaries and films.
- 23 July
Parades and concerts
Military parades and televised concerts; banks, offices and many shops close.
- Dawn to mid-morning
Sightseeing
The coolest hours of a hot day.
- After dark
The Nile
A walk along the river at night is the easiest way to see the flags.
How the holiday affects travel plans in late July
Revolution Day has no tickets and no single venue. What it changes is the shape of your week. Banks, offices and many shops close, and Egyptian families who can get away head for the sea, so the holiday is really a question of where you want to be when the country stops work.
If you would rather join the domestic holiday crowd, Alexandria is the classic summer escape.
Do any banking before the holiday and keep some cash in hand. Big museums and the pyramids normally stay open, but individual opening times can change on national days, so confirm them the day before. Our Egypt travel guide has ideas for filling the hot afternoons and stringing the capital together with a few days by the water.
The events of the 1952 revolution
The coup was quick. Before dawn on 23 July 1952, soldiers loyal to the plotters took the army's Cairo headquarters and sealed the approach roads, and by 3:00 Mohamed Naguib had arrived to take command. At 7:30 the young officer Anwar Sadat read the first communique on the radio, calling the takeover the Blessed Movement. Fewer than a hundred officers, nearly all junior, had carried it out.
King Farouk was spending the summer in Alexandria, at Montaza Palace. As the army closed in he moved to Ras el-Tin on the Western Harbour, signed his abdication in favour of his baby son and, on 26 July at 6 p.m., sailed for Italy aboard the royal yacht al-Mahrusa. The monarchy lingered on paper for less than a year. On 18 June 1953 the officers declared a republic with Naguib as its first president, before Gamal Abdel Nasser pushed him aside and ruled until 1970.
What followed shaped modern Egypt. British influence came to an end, Sudan went its own way to independence in 1956, and Nasser became a figure for nationalists across the Arab world. Opinions about that legacy still run deep. Listen more than you comment.
Getting there
Flying in
Cairo International is about 15 km from the centre in Heliopolis; see Dhaka to Cairo flights.
On the holiday
Public transport may run a reduced service and roads to the coast are heavy as families leave the city. Travel a day early if you can.
To Alexandria
Trains leave Ramses Station, about 30 a day, the fastest in 2 hours 40 minutes. There are no direct flights between Cairo and Alexandria.
Where to stay during the festival
For the anniversary itself, book a central hotel in Downtown, Garden City or Zamalek, with air conditioning you trust.
Alexandria and the Red Sea fill with Egyptian families for the long weekend, so reserve rooms there well ahead.
Luxor
Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$200.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Swimming pool
- Car park
6 Rooms available
Book Now
Aswan
Old Cataract, Aswan5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$650.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Swimming pool
- Air conditioning
8 Rooms available
Book Now
Sharm El Sheikh
Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$350.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
5 Rooms available
Book Now
Alexandria
Steigenberger Cecil Hotel Alexandria4-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$148.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Air conditioning
- Restaurant
5 Rooms available
Book Now
Giza
Marriott Mena House, Cairo5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$620.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Swimming pool
- Car park
5 Rooms available
Book Now
Weather and what to pack
Late July in Cairo is very hot and dry. The airport averages a July high of 35°C and a low of 23.8°C, with no rain (1991-2020 normals).
Rest through the afternoon and go out again after sunset.
Worth packing
- Light, loose clothes that cover shoulders and knees
- Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- A refillable water bottle
- Cash, since banks close for the holiday
Car hire in Egypt
Airport transfer to Revolution Day, Egypt's National Day
Met at arrivals and driven door to door to Egypt.
Restaurants and food in Egypt
Places to eat in Egypt before or after the celebrations.
Mohamed Ahmed
17 Shakour Street, Raml Station, Alexandria, Egypt
Cuisine:EgyptianFul
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Sofra Restaurant & Café
90 Mohamed Farid Street, Al Manshiya, Luxor, Egypt
Cuisine:EgyptianMiddle Eastern
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
Koshary Abou Tarek
Champollion Street, Downtown, Cairo, Egypt
Cuisine:EgyptianKoshary
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Contribute:
Recently viewed events
Others of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Revolution Day, Egypt's National Day. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Be the first to ask
Our team answers questions here
Explore Egypt
Other festivals around the same time
Festivals held in the same weeks, if you want to plan more than one.
01
Jul, 2027
Jul, 2027
Sporting Events, Cultural Events, Folk Festival
Edirne, Turkey
1 photo
25
Jul, 2027
Jul, 2027
Cultural Events, National Day, Parade
Male, Maldives
06
Aug, 2027
Aug, 2027
Cultural Events, Religious Festivals, Parade
Kandy, Sri Lanka
10 photos
Explore Egypt
More events and festivals in Egypt
Festivals and events across Egypt, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
18
Oct, 2027
Oct, 2027
Musical Events, Cultural Events
Cairo, Egypt
Save time: create a trip and get offers from locals
Tell us where and when you want to go, and local travel experts send you offers for your trip.
1 Create a trip
2 Get offers from locals
3 Pick the one you like
Create a trip
Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
It is the 75th anniversary of the 1952 revolution, so the official ceremonies in Cairo are expected to be larger than in an ordinary year, with more flags and a fuller television schedule.
Yes. Parades form part of the official programme, along with televised concerts with strongly nationalist themes, so switch on a television in your hotel to see the full scale.
It is the largest secular holiday and doubles as the National Day. The religious feasts are bigger family occasions, but no other civic date carries the same official weight.
No. Drones are banned in Egypt without a permit that is very difficult to obtain, and they can be seized at customs. Leave yours at home.
Besides 23 July, fixed dates include 7 January, 25 January, 25 April, 1 May and 6 October. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are holidays too, but they follow the lunar calendar and change date every year.
Abdeen was the royal family's main residence until 1952 and is now a presidential palace with museums on its lower floors: silver, arms, royal family history and presidential gifts. Check opening times locally, as state use can affect access.
Ras el-Tin Palace in Alexandria, where he signed, is still an official presidential residence with a naval base beside it. The formal garden is open to the public, but the palace interior is not.
For anyone curious about 1952 it is the most direct link. The house in Heliopolis keeps Nasser's study and family rooms as they were, and a library holds books and recordings about the era.
Cancellations & changes
Within weeks the new government decreed a 200-feddan cap on how much land one person could own, breaking up the great estates of the old elite. The end of British influence and Sudan's independence in 1956 followed.
Families & accessibility
Farouk's son reigned in name only, with a three-man Regency Council acting for him. His title disappeared when the officers declared the republic in June 1953.