Date Palm Festival to boast expanded format this year

More than 175 exhibitors from more than 15 countries are expected to take part in the festival, which organisers expect will attract 25,000 visitors when it opens on Thursday.

Spectators taste dates from the Date Index booth at the Emirates International Date Palm Festival. Andrew Henderson / The National

Abu Dhabi // The seventh Emirates International Date Palm Festival opens on Thursday and is expected to attract 25,000 visitors.

With 175 exhibitors from more than 15 countries, the six-day festival will host an expanded format featuring new attractions and discounted prices.

Dates from the UAE, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Oman will be displayed at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre.

This year the festival will feature a museum that reveals exciting facts about the date palm and the country’s rich history of planting, harvesting and manufacturing various derivatives of palm dates.

“This year, the festival will bring to Abu Dhabi a host of unique events, carefully drawn up and designed to satisfy all segments of the society,” said Mohammed Al Rayssi, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee.

“Through these exciting new additions to the festival, it is our endeavour to help visitors discover a whole new dimension to the blessed tree and its fruit.”

The festival will provide a variety of cultural, culinary and recreational activities to give date lovers and heritage enthusiasts an opportunity to savour the best dates from the region and abroad. Visitors will also get to learn about different aspects of dates and date palms through events and activities focusing on the arts, cuisines, date palm cultivation and tree climbing.

“[The Festival] will offer important opportunities to interact and communicate for experts from all over the world to open up new businesses and intensify cooperation, to find out more about the latest information and issues related to date palm,” Mr Al Rayssi said.