UAE | Heritage and Culture
Thousands savour Liwa Date Festival
The sixth annual festival was held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
- By Nathalie Farah, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 July 27, 2010
- Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
- Visitors sample the various types of dates on display at the sixth Annual Liwa Date Festival. The 10-day event attracted about 75,000 people.
Abu Dhabi: Some 75,000 visitors had a chance to enjoy exploring more than 450 stalls at the 2010 Liwa Date Festival, it was revealed yesterday at the end of the event's 10-day run.
The sixth annual festival was held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
Liwa Date Festival Director Obaid Al Mazroui said: "This year, the festival had three tents with a total space of 50,000 square metres. It took one month to arrange everything and the total investment was worth Dh20 million for everything from the tents to the value of the prizes in the date competitions".
Produce variety
About 3,000 date farmers entered their produce in this year's festival. Judging categories were for each of the five main types of dates popular in the UAE: khallas, dabbas, boumaan, fardh, and nukhba as well as the new khanizi category.
Farmers were also given an opportunity to compete in the mazayin al ratab (meaning half-ripe dates) category. The total cash value of the prizes was Dh5 million, along with 4x4 vehicles.
Additionally, participants could register for the best heritage dish competition.
"We decided to continue with awarding points for both the dates and the farms so that farmers will keep on maintaining and raising the standards of their farms," Al Mazroui said.
"Also, this is the second year we didn't have date auctions. Other than prestige, it is a waste of money because dates have a short window when they can be eaten."
At the festival's traditional market, more than Dh4 million worth of sales were recorded for products as diverse as handmade items to paintings and jewellery.
Record attempt
The festival also gave birth to what might be the world's largest artificial date, which is awaiting confirmation by the Guinness Book of World Records.
The giant date — made from a hard, synthetic material and the brainchild of poet Hamad Bin Sarhan Al Darei — measures 10.5 metres in length, five metres in width, and six metres in height and can seat up to 20 people. It took a year to manufacture at a cost of Dh2 million.
"Dates have been important for Emiratis for hundreds of years… but we don't simply focus on the fruit itself… some have already shown that it could successfully be used in beauty products while others have created date cupcakes, date ice cream… " Al Mazroui said.
Entertainment
Visitors were also given an opportunity to take part in quizzes and were entertained by traditional Emirati performers.
Children were given a corner all to themselves where they could enjoy playing games. Many governmental and non-governmental organisations also had displays at the festival.
Free snacks: Date donations
The Liwa Date Festival's Organising Committee had bought 7,000 boxes of dates worth Dh2.5 million from farmers that were then distributed for free for visitors throughout this year's festival. Additionally, the committee donated Dh2 million and businessman Mohammad Atiq Al Hameli purchased dates worth Dh2 million to support farmers.
Winning announcement
Winners of the Best Handicraft Competition were announced with a total of eight winners; four in the category of Traditional Designs and four in the category of Modern Designs out of 270 participants with a total prize value of Dh50, 000.
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