21st Liwa Date Festival To Launch On July 14 Under Patronage Of Mansour Bin Zayed
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, the 21st edition of the Liwa Date Festival will take place from 14th to 27th July in Liwa City, Al Dhafra Region.
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the festival reaffirms its commitment to celebrating one of the UAE’s most enduring cultural and agricultural traditions.
Coinciding with the UAE’s annual date harvest, the festival highlights the central role of palm trees and their produce in Emirati society, recognising them as a cornerstone of the nation’s cultural identity. It also promotes the sustainability of the heritage and agricultural sectors, raises awareness of the importance of farming in the UAE, and encourages local date and crop producers. In addition, the festival supports food security efforts and reflects Abu Dhabi’s commitment to advancing modern agricultural practices.
This year’s edition features 24 competitions, including 12 date “mazayna” contests covering categories such as Dabbas, Khalas, Fard, Khenaizi, Buma’an, Shishi, Zamli, the Largest Date Bunch, the Al Dhafra and Liwa Elite Dates competitions, and the Al Ain Fard and Khalas contests. It also includes seven fruit competitions for various local and mixed varieties of lemons, mangoes, red and yellow figs, and the “Local Fruits Basket” contest.
The festival further features three “Model Farm” competitions across the Western and Eastern Mahadir (agricultural farms) and Al Dhafra cities, as well as contests for the Most Beautiful Palm Frond Basket and artistic creations made from palm trunks.
The total prize value for this year’s festival exceeds AED8.735 million.
The festival’s organising committee has allocated 25 prizes each for the Dabbas and Khalas Date Mazayna competitions, with a total prize pool of AED446,000 per competition. The first-place winner in each will receive AED100,000, the second AED75,000, and the third AED40,000. For the Shishi, Buma’an, Khenaizi, Fard, and Zamli categories, 15 prizes are offered in each, with AED367,000 in total prize money per contest and the same top-tier awards of AED100,000, AED75,000, and AED40,000. Specific to Al Ain farms, the Fard Dates Competition offers 15 prizes, with its top three winners receiving AED100,000, AED75,000, and AED40,000, respectively. Similarly, the Khalas Dates Competition for Al Ain farms features 25 prizes, with the same prize amounts awarded to its top three winners.
The Liwa and Al Dhafra Elite Dates Competitions each feature 15 prizes. In the Al Dhafra Elite Dates Competition, the first-place winner will receive AED200,000, the second AED150,000, and the third AED100,000, with the total prize pool exceeding AED700,000. In the Liwa Elite Dates Competition, the top three prizes are AED125,000, AED100,000, and AED60,000, respectively, bringing the total prize value to over AED500,000.
The Largest Bunch of Dates Competition has a prize pool of AED234,000 distributed among 15 winners, with AED50,000 for first place, AED40,000 for second, and AED30,000 for third.
In the fruit category, the Mango Competition features two subcategories: local and mixed varieties. Each subcategory offers ten prizes, with a combined prize pool of AED234,000.
In the Lemon Competition (local and mixed varieties) and the Fig Competition (red and yellow varieties), the festival has allocated 10 prizes for each category, with a total value of AED117,000 per category. Complementing these is the Local Fruit Basket Competition, which offers a prize pool of AED400,000, with AED200,000 awarded to the first-place winner, AED120,000 to the second, and AED80,000 to the third.
For the Model Farm Competition, which covers the Liwa Western Farms, Liwa Eastern Farms, and Al Dhafra Cities categories, each category carries a prize pool of AED750,000. The first-place winner in each will receive AED300,000, second place AED180,000, and third AED120,000.
The festival has also allocated 10 prizes for the Most Beautiful Date Basket Competition, which aims to revive traditional handicrafts using eco-friendly natural materials. Additionally, 10 prizes have been designated for the Palm Trunk Creativity Competition, which encourages the recycling of palm trunks into artistic creations.
Beyond the competitions, the festival presents a diverse program of heritage events, daily activities, and cultural initiatives that preserve the legacy of the date palm as a symbol of the UAE’s rich heritage and ongoing prosperity. It also promotes family and community ties, encourages intergenerational engagement, and reinforces values of cooperation and belonging, reflecting the spirit of the UAE’s “Year of the Community.”
The festival also serves as a key platform for supporting the local community and productive families in the region through its traditional market, which includes stalls selling fresh dates and date-based products, mobile cafés, agricultural factories, plant nurseries, and pavilions representing sponsoring and participating organisations. Daily stage activities include interactive quizzes with prizes, live folkloric performances, lectures, seminars, and a variety of cultural evenings.
Bringing together farmers, experts, industry leaders, companies, and research centers, the festival serves as a collaborative hub to support the agricultural sector and promote its long-term sustainability. It also plays a key role in boosting the Al Dhafra Region’s economy through a diverse program that draws thousands of visitors each year.
