Liwa Date Festival to be held without visitors this year

The annual heritage festival in Abu Dhabi emirate will have prizes worth more than Dh8 million

A group of men try out date juice at the festival.

Organisers survey a selection of dates.

The finest produce from the UAE’s date and fruit farms is on display alongside heritage and cultural demonstrations in an air-conditioned tent in the middle of the desert.

Emirati men perform a traditional dance during the first day of the Liwa Date Festival in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.

Men walk through the traditional souk at the festival.

More than 70,000 visitors used to make the trek out to Liwa City in Al Gharbia for events in previous years.

Dates – and for the fifth year, mangoes and lemons, too – will be in competition, with 220 prizes and more than Dh8 million waiting to be awarded.

Eissa Saif Al Mazrouei, deputy chairman of the Cultural Programmes & Heritage Festivals committee, said 22 competitions will be organised during the festival.

Mr Al Mazrouei said event is an opportunity to shed light on the significance of palm trees in the Emirati heritage while tasting some half-ripe Ratab dates.

The Liwa Date Festival in Abu Dhabi will again be held without visitors this year.

As was the case for last year’s event, the festival will be closed to visitors and activities will be limited.

Organisers confirmed that those who are allowed to attend will be subject to Covid-19 measures.

The annual heritage festival, in its 17th year, will run from Thursday, July 15 to Friday July 23, with prizes worth more than Dh8 million ($2.17m).

Eissa Saif Al Mazrouei, deputy chairman of the Cultural Programmes & Heritage Festivals Committee, said 22 competitions will be organised during the festival.

He said the event is an opportunity to highlight the significance of palm trees in Emirati heritage.

Each year, thousands of farmers compete in competitions offering prizes for, among others, the heaviest date branch and best fruit basket.

More than 60,000 dates in six varieties are typically submitted for scrutiny by a panel of judges.

The festival also holds competitions for the best mangoes and lemons.

Previously, thousands of visitors would descend on Liwa, in Al Dhafra, an area of Abu Dhabi that borders Saudi Arabia, to take part in the cultural experience. Seminars and workshops were also previously held to teach visitors about the UAE's heritage.

The festival is Liwa's social event of the year with winners becoming renowned among Emiratis who live in the region.

Under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the annual event celebrates the UAE’s culture and heritage and supports local agriculture.