Abu Simbel hosts Sun Festival on 22 October
Published on 09/27/2026 at 10:48 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Abu Simbel will host its Sun Festival on 22 October 2026, when sunlight reaches the inner sanctuary of the Great Temple of Ramses II. The celebration concerns the temples at Abu Simbel in southern Egypt, with preparations now under way for visitors and accompanying cultural performances.
Sun Festival at Abu Simbel is set for 22 October
Aswan Governor Amr el-Lashin ordered heightened preparations on 23 September 2026 for the celebration at Abu Simbel. The announcement names 22 October 2026 as the event date and links the programme directly to the solar alignment on the face of Ramses II.
The local authorities are coordinating with Egypt’s Ministry of Culture and the General Authority for Culture Palaces on artistic and folkloric performances by groups from Aswan and other Egyptian governorates. The programme is intended to accompany the temple event and present regional traditions to visitors. Aswan preparation announcement
Abu Simbel’s solar event follows a 1968 relocation
The Great Temple was carved from solid rock in the thirteenth century BCE and is fronted by four colossal statues of Ramses II. Its solar alignment gives the October celebration a direct connection to the architecture: sunlight enters the temple along its axis and reaches the innermost sanctuary on 22 October.
The setting visitors see today is the result of a major twentieth-century rescue. UNESCO records that the temples were dismantled, moved to higher ground and reassembled within an artificial cliff 64 metres above the old site and 180 metres inland. Abu Simbel was inaugurated in its new location on 22 September 1968, while the wider Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae gained World Heritage status in 1979. UNESCO’s Abu Simbel history
That relocation preserved the physical setting for the modern Sun Festival. The 22 October event therefore links a recurring astronomical alignment with a temple whose present location exists because of an international heritage operation.
Visiting Abu Simbel: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Sun Festival takes place on 22 October 2026 at the Abu Simbel temples, with the solar alignment and related cultural performances forming the announced programme.
- Visitor preparations include work on the route from Abu Simbel airport to the temple, including cleaning, lighting, landscaping and urban improvements. The announcement does not state a closure or a changed entrance.
- Abu Simbel is in southern Egypt, and the local authority identifies the road between Abu Simbel airport and the temple as the immediate access route being prepared for the event.
- The Great Temple is a rock-cut monument with an inner sanctuary, while the four statues at its entrance rise 21 metres above the surrounding approach.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Abu Simbel
When does the Sun Festival take place at Abu Simbel?
The Sun Festival takes place on 22 October 2026 at the temples, alongside the solar alignment and announced cultural performances.
What is Abu Simbel?
Abu Simbel is a complex of two temples, including the Great Temple of Ramses II, carved in the thirteenth century BCE and relocated to higher ground in 1968.
Where is Abu Simbel and how do you get there?
Abu Simbel is in southern Egypt. For the 22 October 2026 event, the local authority is preparing the road from Abu Simbel airport to the temple.
