The festival also hosts seven fruit competitions featuring various local and mixed varieties of lemons, mangoes, and red and yellow figs, along with a Local Fruits Basket contest.
The Liwa Date Festival is back for its 21st edition, running from July 14th to 27th in Liwa City, Al Dhafra Region. This annual event marks the beginning of the date harvest season in the UAE, which typically starts every June.
The festival offers a rich blend of entertainment, heritage activities, and competitions, all centered around the celebration of this significant fruit.
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.
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.
The festival also hosts seven fruit competitions featuring various local and mixed varieties of lemons, mangoes, and red and yellow figs, along with a Local Fruits Basket contest.
Additionally, it includes three Model Farm competitions covering the Western and Eastern Mahadir (agricultural farms) and Al Dhafra cities. Rounding out the events are contests for the Most Beautiful Palm Frond Basket and artistic creations crafted from palm trunks.
Beyond the competitions, the festival presents a diverse programme 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.
