Al Wathba Date Festival begins in Abu Dhabi
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The third Al Wathba Date Festival opened on Tuesday evening in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court.
The festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority as part of the Sheikh Zayed Festival and will continue until 24 January.
Activities on the first day included the opening of the Dates Auction, which is intended to provide a sales platform for locally produced dates and improve market access for Emirati farmers. The highest price recorded on the day was AED800 for a single box of Zamli dates. Overall, 160 boxes weighing a combined 460 kilograms were sold, with total sales reaching AED33,550.
According to organisers, the festival is designed to support palm farmers, encourage domestic date production and promote new practices in the sector, with an emphasis on food security and sustainable agricultural output. The event also focuses on the palm tree and date products as part of the UAE’s cultural and agricultural heritage.
The program includes 14 competitions offering 116 prizes valued at more than AED2 million. Additional features include a heritage market, a dates village with 40 retail outlets, and cultural activities and folk performances aimed at family audiences.