Cairo Radar

A Fifth Settlement Culture Day Before Egypt Press Photo Closes

Egypt Press Photo at AUC New Cairo: why this Fifth Settlement stop matters now

If you want a culture-led day out in New Cairo before October wraps up, the most time-sensitive stop is Egypt Press Photo Exhibition at The Photographic Gallery, Abdul Latif Jameel Hall, AUC New Cairo. AUC lists the show as running from 17 September to 22 October 2026, open from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, and describes it as an annual exhibition of contemporary photojournalism that lets visitors revisit the stories that defined 2025. AUC’s public event page says the exhibition is part of an ongoing collaboration with the Egypt Press Photo competition, now in its 20th edition, organized by the Syndicate of Journalists and run by the Photojournalists Collective.

That makes it more than a campus gallery stop. For Fifth Settlement readers, it is a compact way to add something genuinely local and current to a New Cairo day: an Egypt-focused exhibition, shown inside one of the area’s few established public-facing art and photography spaces, followed by coffee or dinner around South 90 and Point 90.

What exactly is on view at the exhibition?

AUC says this year’s exhibition highlights the spot news that dominated headlines throughout 2025. The venue is The Photographic Gallery, a long-running AUC space in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Abdul Latif Jameel Hall. According to AUC’s gallery page, the space has hosted photography and media-arts exhibitions since 1991 and regularly presents both established and emerging photographic work.

In practical terms, that means visitors should expect a tightly edited press-photography show rather than a sprawling museum visit. If you live in New Cairo, that is part of the appeal: it is manageable as an afternoon plan and easy to pair with Road 90 dining without turning the day into a cross-city mission downtown.

Key details to know before you go

  • Exhibition: Egypt Press Photo Exhibition
  • Venue: The Photographic Gallery, Abdul Latif Jameel Hall, AUC New Cairo
  • Dates: 17 September 2026 to 22 October 2026
  • Daily timing listed by AUC: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
  • Focus: contemporary Egyptian photojournalism, with this edition centered on the stories that shaped 2025

Because the show ends on Thursday, 22 October 2026, it works best as a plan for the next few days rather than a sometime-later bookmark.

How to build a Fifth Settlement culture day around it

The easiest version is to treat the exhibition as the anchor, then build the food part of the day around Point 90 Mall and nearby South 90 options. Point 90 is especially practical because it sits in front of AUC Gate 5, making it the least complicated add-on if you want to keep the day walkable or within a very short drive.

Option 1: coffee first, exhibition second

If you prefer arriving early in the area, start with a light coffee stop near campus, then head into AUC in time for the gallery opening window. One useful nearby option is Boulevard at Point 90 Mall, in front of AUC Gate 5. Its listing places it directly in the AUC Point 90 cluster and categorizes it under coffee and drinks alongside sandwiches and casual international food, which makes it better suited to a pre-exhibition stop than a heavy meal.

Another soft-landing option inside Point 90 is Paul. The brand’s store locator lists a branch at First Floor, Point 90 Mall, New Cairo. For readers who want a more dessert-leaning pause, Amorino also lists a New Cairo - Point 90 Mall branch with daily opening hours from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Option 2: exhibition first, dinner after

The stronger culture-day flow is arguably to go straight to the exhibition within its 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm slot, then save the social part for after. Since the gallery closes relatively early, dinner becomes the natural second act. Again, Point 90 Mall is the most efficient handoff from campus: directory listings there include Paul, Ayadina, Casper & Gambini’s, Mince Burgers and dessert spots such as House of Cocoa and Amorino.

If your group wants something low-effort and close, staying in Point 90 keeps the outing easy. If you want a longer Road 90 evening, you can use the exhibition as the cultural opener and then move on to one of the larger dining clusters on South 90.

Where to eat on Road 90 before or after the show

Coffee and light bites near AUC

  • Boulevard, Point 90 Mall: a practical pre- or post-gallery stop directly opposite AUC Gate 5, with coffee, drinks, sandwiches and casual plates.
  • Paul, Point 90 Mall: dependable for coffee, pastries and a calmer sit-down break if you want your culture day to feel more leisurely.
  • Amorino, Point 90 Mall: better for gelato, crepes, waffles or a sweet finish than a full meal, but useful if the outing is more stroll than sit-down dinner.

Dinner-friendly choices in the Point 90 orbit

  • Ayadina: one of the known restaurant names in Point 90 if your group wants a fuller dinner rather than coffee and dessert.
  • Casper & Gambini’s: suitable for mixed groups that want a broad, familiar menu in a mall setting.
  • Mince Burgers: the straightforward casual option if the plan is exhibition first, quick comfort food after.

The advantage of keeping the meal around Point 90 is not just convenience. It preserves the Fifth Settlement angle of the day: local culture in AUC New Cairo, then a Road 90 dining stop without leaving the district.

Why this exhibition fits New Cairo now

New Cairo still has fewer established exhibition venues than central Cairo, which is partly why this stop stands out. AUC itself has acknowledged that cultural programming on its New Cairo campus helps fill a local gap; in a summer 2026 release about its public arts festival, the university said there are relatively few theaters, galleries and similar venues in the area compared with downtown. That wider context gives the Egypt Press Photo show extra weight for Fifth Settlement residents: it is one of the clearer examples of culture happening in-place, not somewhere else in the city.

It also aligns neatly with the kind of area guide many readers actually need. Not everyone wants a full museum day, and not every outing in New Cairo has to revolve around shopping. An afternoon photography exhibition followed by coffee or dinner on Road 90 is a more balanced use of the neighborhood, especially while the weather is easing into October evenings.

A simple itinerary to copy

  • 1:00 pm: Arrive at AUC New Cairo and head to The Photographic Gallery in Abdul Latif Jameel Hall.
  • 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm: See the Egypt Press Photo Exhibition.
  • 2:45 pm: Move to Point 90 Mall, opposite AUC Gate 5.
  • 3:00 pm: Coffee and dessert at Paul, Boulevard or Amorino.
  • Later evening: Stay on for dinner at Ayadina, Casper & Gambini’s or a casual bite like Mince Burgers.

Final word

For anyone putting together a Fifth Settlement culture day this week, the timing is the story. Egypt Press Photo at AUC New Cairo ends on 22 October 2026, and it offers a distinctly Egyptian exhibition subject in a genuinely local venue. Pair it with a Road 90 coffee or dinner stop and you have one of the clearest New Cairo plans right now that feels cultural without becoming complicated.