# A Little Versailles, a Little Monaco - Anwar Elkamony’s Hope Giver Egypt 2026 Chooses Cairo > There is something wonderfully audacious about planning a Versailles-inspired ball on the Nile and a Monaco-style gala inside a Cairo palace within the same week. The idea could easily be mistaken fo… - Source: Italian Insider - Canonical URL: https://italianinsider.net/en/article/a-little-versailles-a-little-monaco-anwar-elkamony-s-hope-giver-egypt-2026-chooses-cairo - Author: Giulia Bianchi - Section: World - Other edition: https://italianinsider.net/article/a-little-versailles-a-little-monaco-anwar-elkamony-s-hope-giver-egypt-2026-chooses-cairo - Published: 2026-10-21T11:14:21.599Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T13:48:25.482Z - Tags: Anwar Elkamony --- There is something wonderfully audacious about planning a Versailles-inspired ball on the Nile and a Monaco-style gala inside a Cairo palace within the same week. The idea could easily be mistaken for an elaborate society fantasy. Yet Hope Giver Egypt 2026, scheduled for 6–12 December 2026, has a decidedly human story at its centre.  Its driving force is Anwar Elkamony, the Egyptian tennis player whose recovery from a life-threatening illness and return to sport became the foundation of an international humanitarian campaign.  The expanded programme opens on 6 December with a public marathon at the Pyramids of Giza, followed by Patient Advocacy Day on 7 December, supported by Sanofi, and university masterclasses on 8 December. That evening, Grand Ball – Friends of Versailles is scheduled at The Nile Ritz-Carlton for an estimated 600–800 guests.  The International Fashion Show follows at the Grand Egyptian Museum on 9 December, with 200–250 guests expected. On 10 December, Abdeen Palace is set to host the Royal Gentlemen Event & International Congress Awards for approximately 250–300 guests.  On 11 December, a women’s empowerment forum at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization precedes the closing ceremony at the Pyramids of Giza, for which organisers project 20,000 attendees.  The week concludes on 12 December with a newly announced ultra-luxury experience featuring helicopters, Ferrari supercars and an exclusive programme at Abdeen Palace, organised by Hope Giver in collaboration with an international company. The 12 December event replaces the cancelled Food Awards; further arrangements have yet to be announced.  The organisers describe a programme that will draw people from royal, diplomatic, artistic and business circles. Better World Fund has published further details of the Versailles-related events, including cultural programming and a charity auction. That institutional context matters. Grand events have a habit of becoming stories about who wore what, who sat beside whom and who arrived last. Here, the more interesting question is what those meetings might make possible once the photographers have gone home.  Elkamony's Hope Giver campaign reports activity in more than 23 countries, working to raise awareness and support for people confronting illness, disability and hardship. There is a sharp contrast between those realities and the elegant settings planned for December. It need not be an uncomfortable one. Charity has always found ways to speak the language of its potential supporters. The challenge is ensuring that the message remains audible above the orchestra.  The names of every performer and guest have not been confirmed, and the precise presentation of the International Congress Awards, including any International Congress Awards is the announced name of the awards programme. That leaves plenty to discover. In the meantime, Cairo's upcoming week offers a genuinely intriguing premise: the traditions of European society, reframed through Egyptian hospitality and the conviction of a man who has already lived through a far more consequential drama. --- Originally published by Italian Insider. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://italianinsider.net/en/article/a-little-versailles-a-little-monaco-anwar-elkamony-s-hope-giver-egypt-2026-chooses-cairo.