The Al Wathba Dates Festival opens with AED5.677 million in prizes, celebrating Emirati farmers, premium dates and the UAE’s farming heritage.

ABU DHABI: Love dates? Then Al Wathba is the place to be this week.

The UAE is launching the first-ever Al Wathba Dates Festival, bringing together farmers, date growers and visitors for a week packed with competitions, prizes and plenty of Emirati heritage.

Running from August 3 to August 9, the festival is part of the Sheikh Zayed Summer Festival and is being organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

And there’s serious prize money on the line.

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The festival features 18 competitions with a total of 240 prizes worth AED5.677 million, making it one of the biggest events dedicated to dates and local farming in the UAE.

One of the biggest attractions will be the 10 rutab beauty competitions, where farmers will compete to showcase the finest fresh dates grown across the country. Judges will look at quality, appearance and other standards to crown the best entries.

Festival organisers say the event is about much more than winning prizes.

It aims to support Emirati farmers, encourage better farming practices and promote high-quality local date production. The festival also celebrates the deep cultural connection between the UAE and the date palm, which has been part of daily life for generations.

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Speaking at the announcement, officials said the festival continues the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who strongly supported agriculture and encouraged the planting of date palms across the country.

Besides the competitions, visitors can expect a lively atmosphere celebrating one of the UAE’s most treasured crops, while farmers get a chance to showcase their best harvest and exchange knowledge with others in the industry.

The new festival is expected to become another major event on Abu Dhabi’s cultural calendar, highlighting both the country’s agricultural success and its commitment to preserving Emirati traditions.

Whether you’re a date lover, a farmer or simply curious about one of the UAE’s oldest traditions, the inaugural Al Wathba Dates Festival promises something worth checking out.