AD: El Gouna Lights Up the Red Sea With Its Christmas Tree Ceremony

On a crisp December evening, El Gouna’s central square glimmered with a spectacle that has quietly become part of the Red Sea town’s traditions: the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. For years, this moment has been a beacon of the community itself. A place where residents, visitors, and friends of the 35-year-old town gather to celebrate the season while quietly honouring what makes El Gouna special: its people.

This year, the coastal town had an extra surprise up its sleeve: under the twinkle of the towering tree, and with hot cocoa in hand, Gouna residents old and new watched as their stories and lived moments unfolded on a big screen. Instead of polished actors or picture-perfect stand-ins, the spotlight turned to neighbours. Creatives. Families. Real residents that are now the official faces of El Gouna.This is a town of 25,000 residents of over 50 nationalities, yet it feels intimate, familiar, and entirely its own. And during this ceremony, those who call El Gouna home were at the heart of every sparkle, every note of music, every cheer.

And this is just the beginning. Beyond giving residents a well-earned spotlight (and eternal fame in El Gouna), the ceremony served to set the tone for a new year full of experiences, gatherings, and simple pleasures that make every single member of El Gouna Community feel seen. And, for the million visitors passing through each year, it might help them understand why the town’s iconic tagline feels so natural: “El Gouna: Life as It Should Be.”