Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (WAM)
The inaugural Al Wathba Dates festival, part of the Sheikh Zayed Summer Festival in Al Wathba, concluded on Sunday after several days of competitions and heritage activities celebrating the UAE’s date harvest and the country’s long connection with the date palm.
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority from August 3 to 9, 2026, the festival featured 18 competitions offering 240 prizes worth a total of Dh5.677 million.
The festival brings together farmers, date growers, families and visitors, while providing local producers with an opportunity to showcase some of their best dates.
It supports date palm growers, encourages higher-quality local production, promotes best agricultural practices and preserves the heritage associated with the date palm for future generations.
Rashid Al Rumaithi, Director of the Festival, said that the first edition saw the participation of 448 contestants across 18 competitions and the volume of rutab (fresh dates) and fruit entries exceeding 4,385 tonnes.
The festival drew a large crowd, welcoming 25,108 visitors over its seven-day run — an average of more than 3,000 visitors per day, he added.
The final day saw winners across the festival’s competitions honoured and presented with prizes in recognition of the quality of their produce.
