International Date Palm Festival opens in Abu Dhabi

The International Date Palm Festival runs until November 26 and offers six new events this year.

The Emirates International Date Palm Festival has opened with six new events. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National

ABU DHABI // The Emirates International Date Palm Festival opened on Thursday with six new events.

The showcase focuses on consumers by offering good products at low prices, said Mohammed Al Rayssi, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee.

The festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority in cooperation with the Date Palm Friends Society.

Mr Al Rayssi said the festival highlighted the UAE’s rich heritage and was aiming to attract Emirati families.

Among the new attractions this year is the Local Cultural Oasis, which will feature various types of palm trees designed to resemble the shape of the UAE map.

Another is the Scientific Maze, built in the shape of a date and featuring educational and instructional photographs.

An Experiments Corner has a giant screen displaying questions about dates , while the Visitors’ Wall has two panels showing visitors’ messages and notes.

Participation from national exhibitors has been strong, along with significant participation from Arabian Gulf and other Arab exhibitors, Mr Al Rayssi said.

The festival will provide a variety of cultural, culinary and recreational activities to give date lovers and heritage enthusiasts a chance to savour the best dates from the region and abroad.

Visitors will also learn about different aspects of dates and date palms through activities focusing on the arts, cuisines, date-palm cultivation and tree climbing.

The festival runs until November 26 and features 175 exhibitors from more than 15 countries.