Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the 18th edition of Al Dhafra Festival will begin on 21 October 2024. Organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the festival will be a highlight of the camel mazayna season in the Abu Dhabi, running until 30 January 2025.
Al Dhafra Festival features four camel mazayna events, beginning with the Sweihan Mazayna from 21 October to 28 October 2024. This will be followed by the Razeen Mazayna from 14 November to 21 November 2024, and the Madinat Zayed Mazayna from 12 December to 19 December 2024. The series will culminate with the Al Dhafra Festival Mazayna from 11 January to 30 January 2025.
The festival boasts a total of 361 rounds across the camel mazayna and mahalib (milking) competitions, with 3,460 prizes allocated. This includes 355 rounds of camel mazayna, covering categories such as Majahim, Asayel, Asayel hybrids, and Wadh, with a total of 3,400 prizes. Additionally, there are six rounds and 60 prizes dedicated to the Mahalib competition, which includes Asayel and Majahim categories.
Al Dhafra Festival will also feature a range of accompanying heritage competitions, which will be held alongside the final phase of the festival. These include a falconry competition, a falcon beauty contest, an Arabian Saluki beauty contest, traditional Arabian Saluki races, Arabian horse races, and Al Naim sheep beauty contest. Additionally, the festival will showcase dates mazayna and date packaging competitions, a shooting contest, cooking competitions, a sour milk contest, and a camel sitting competition. Attendees can also explore numerous heritage and cultural events at the Al Dhafra traditional souk, as well as visit pavilions from government and private organisations and various outdoor markets.
Al Dhafra Festival fosters collective efforts to adopt sustainable practices, aligning with the Year of Sustainability and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. The festival supports environmental protection and resource conservation while upholding the President’s ongoing commitment to heritage projects. It promotes the continuation of camel breeding and care, supports enthusiasts of falconry competitions and purebred Arabian horses, and encourages the ownership and preservation of these purebred breeds.
The festival aims to unify the competitions standards, terms and conditions, and intensify efforts to achieve success in the mazayna contests, expand participation of camel owners in the competitions, preserve the purebred camel breeds, boost camel trade, contribute to the development of domestic and Gulf tourism, spur economic activity, shed light on the region and strengthen the status of Abu Dhabi as the leading destination for camel mazayna.
The cultural and heritage festivals and programmes, organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, underscore Abu Dhabi's leading role in preserving and promoting both local and Arab heritage. By showcasing Emirati traditions, these initiatives reinforce national identity and cultural values within society. They also play a crucial role in documenting heritage practices and advancing research in this field, all in alignment with Abu Dhabi's cultural heritage strategy.
