Turathna 2026 at EIEC: what to buy, eat and plan before Oct 24
Turathna 2026 in Fifth Settlement: the essential guide before the fair closes
Turathna 2026 is one of the biggest dates on New Cairo’s October calendar, especially for anyone who loves Egyptian crafts, regional food products and practical gift shopping with real local character. The eighth edition of the heritage and handicrafts fair is running at Egypt International Exhibition Center in Fifth Settlement from October 17 to October 24, 2026, organized by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) under the slogan “Where the Story Begins”. Egyptian reports also describe this year’s edition as the eighth round of the fair under presidential patronage, with Morocco as guest of honor and participation from the UAE, Algeria, Tunisia and Latvia.
For readers in New Cairo and nearby areas, Turathna is not just an exhibition stop. It is the kind of outing that can fill a whole day: shopping inside the halls, a coffee or lunch nearby on 90 Street, and an early-evening return if you want one more round before the closing date on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
What to buy at Turathna 2026
The smart way to shop Turathna is to focus on categories rather than trying to see every stand in one sweep. Official and Egyptian coverage frames the event around handicrafts and heritage products from across the country, with strong participation from producers in Upper Egypt, Sinai and border governorates. This year also includes a high share of women-led businesses: according to Al Ahram’s coverage, women account for 70% of participants, while at least 30% of exhibitors are new.
1) Home pieces with a clear Egyptian identity
Start with the easiest category to compare: cushions, table runners, kilim-style textiles, basketry, pottery and decorative accessories. These are the items most visitors can buy without overthinking size or fit, and they make better gifts than generic mall decor because they carry regional craft signatures.
If you are shopping for a home refresh, prioritize pieces that are both decorative and usable: a woven runner for the dining table, hand-finished serving trays, ceramic bowls, or storage baskets. If you are shopping for a gift, smaller items usually travel best and are easier to budget for.
2) Fashion and accessories you will actually use
Turathna has long been strongest when it comes to wearable craft: embroidered bags, scarves, handmade jewelry, leather goods and heritage-inspired clothing. Instead of impulse-buying the first attractive piece, compare stitching, finishing and lining. At a fair built around small producers, workmanship varies, and the best purchases are the ones that balance authenticity with everyday practicality.
3) Food products and pantry gifts
Food is not the headline category of Turathna, but heritage fairs like this are often good for picking up packed products with a local story: honey, dates, spices and rural pantry staples. These work especially well if you are building a host gift or a small Egypt-themed hamper after your visit.
4) Buy from new exhibitors if you want fresher finds
Because a significant share of the sellers are first-time or newer exhibitors this year, there is a good chance of finding products that have not already saturated seasonal bazaars in Cairo. That matters if you want something less predictable than the usual mass-repeated craft items.
How to plan your day at Egypt International Exhibition Center
The venue itself helps shape the day. The exhibition center in New Cairo was established in 2017 and includes four halls, more than 40,000 square meters of flexible exhibition space, 12 meeting rooms and parking capacity listed in industry material at around 3,300 vehicles. The official NCIEC site places it on El-Moshir Tantawy Axis, New Cairo.
Best arrival strategy
If you want a calmer browsing experience, go earlier in the day rather than treating Turathna as a late-night plan. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a tote or foldable shopping bag, and set a rough spending ceiling before you enter. Heritage fairs reward slow browsing, but they also make it easy to overspend on small purchases.
A practical schedule looks like this:
- Late morning: arrive and do a first full walk-through without buying too much.
- Early afternoon: return to the stands you bookmarked and make your main purchases.
- Lunch or coffee break: leave the venue for a more comfortable meal in Fifth Settlement.
- Late afternoon: come back for a final round, especially for gifts and packaged items.
If you are driving, note that parking rules can vary by event. External event guidance for EIEC states that some shows only allow certain vehicle categories inside the complex and direct other visitors to outside parking opposite the gate, so it is worth allowing extra time on busy days.
Where to eat near Turathna in Fifth Settlement
The most practical post-fair food strategy is to head toward the well-known restaurant clusters around Point 90 Mall and the wider Fifth Settlement commercial strip. Point 90 sits in front of AUC Gate 5, making it one of the easiest recognizable reference points for visitors leaving the exhibition center and looking for a straightforward meal stop.
Point 90 Mall for an easy, familiar stop
Restaurant listings around Point 90 currently show recognizable names including PAUL Bakery & Restaurant, Espresso Lab, One Oak and Tamara Elna. If your group is split between coffee people and proper-lunch people, this is one of the simplest areas to regroup without a lot of planning.
- PAUL works well if you want a sit-down lunch, bakery stop or dessert after shopping.
- Espresso Lab is the better quick stop if all you need is coffee before heading back into traffic.
- One Oak suits visitors turning the outing into a longer lunch or early dinner.
- Tamara Elna is a practical option for Levantine-style food if you want something shareable.
Keep the meal local to New Cairo
For this kind of day out, staying in the Fifth Settlement orbit makes more sense than driving elsewhere in Cairo. The exhibition itself takes time, traffic on surrounding roads can build quickly, and a nearby lunch lets you return to Turathna if you still want to shop after eating.
How to shop smarter before Turathna ends on October 24
Because the fair closes on October 24, the final days are often the moment when undecided shoppers return with a clearer list. Go in with three priorities: one item for your home, one gift item, and one inexpensive impulse buy. That structure helps you avoid leaving with a bag full of pretty-but-random pieces.
Also, do not ignore the fair’s business side. Recent Egyptian coverage says the exhibition is meant not only to sell products but also to open new export channels, with one report citing a $300 million export target tied to the broader push behind the event. Another practical addition this year is the Turathna Development Center, which Egyptian business coverage says includes a product photography studio and a podcast studio to help exhibitors improve digital marketing. That means many of the brands on site are trying to become more polished, retail-ready businesses, not just temporary bazaar sellers.
The bottom line
For New Cairo readers, Turathna 2026 is worth treating as a full Fifth Settlement day rather than a quick errand. Go for the Egyptian-made textiles, accessories and home pieces first; leave room for packaged heritage foods and gift shopping second; and build in a proper food break around Point 90 or another nearby restaurant cluster. Most importantly, do not leave it to the last possible moment: the fair runs only until Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Egypt International Exhibition Center in Fifth Settlement, and this year’s edition brings together local makers from across Egypt alongside international participation led by guest of honor Morocco.
If your weekends in Cairo usually revolve around malls and chain cafes, Turathna offers a more grounded version of a Fifth Settlement outing: one that turns shopping into a direct encounter with Egyptian craft, regional identity and the small businesses trying to carry both forward.