Al Dhafra Festival 2026 kicks off final station with Dh59m in prizes

Competitions and activities for the final station of the 19th Al Dhafra Festival kick off today (Saturday) in Madinat Zayed, Al Dhafra Region.

The festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, in strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), with Modon Group as the main sponsor, and will continue until January 22.

The Al Dhafra Festival is a prominent heritage landmark celebrating the role of camels in Emirati culture. It reflects the leadership’s vision to preserve national heritage and pass it on to future generations.

The festival brings together elite camel owners from the UAE and GCC through a wide range of beauty contests and traditional competitions, forming a major heritage and tourism gathering that strengthens national identity, supports the local economy, and reinforces Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for camel beauty contests and a regional and global platform for heritage.

The festival’s final station features a wide array of heritage competitions and events, with 2,655 prizes valued at more than Dh59 million. These include camel beauty contests, the milking competition, falcon beauty contests, Arabian thoroughbred horse races, saluki races, Arabian saluki beauty contests, date competitions and packaging contests, Al Dhafra Arabian horse beauty contest, Naeemi sheep beauty contest, shooting competitions, sour milk competition, and many other activities at the Al Dhafra Heritage Market and accompanying events arena.

Camel beauty contests will be held throughout the festival in 118 rounds for purebred camel categories, including Mahalliyat, Majahim, Wadh, and Asayel crossbreeds. A total of 1,135 prizes worth Dh53.797 million have been allocated.

For the milking competition, the organising committee has designated six rounds: four for the Mahalliyat category (Arabiyat Talad, Khawawir Talad, Arabiyat Sharaya, Khawawir Sharaya) and two for the Majahim category (Majahim 1 and Majahim Open). Sixty prizes will be awarded to the top ten winners in each round, with a total value of Dh1.8 million.

The Al Dhafra Heritage Market offers a rich programme of activities for festival visitors and guests of Madinat Zayed. It features a variety of heritage shops and pavilions, food trucks, a performance stage, children’s and heritage competitions, folk art performances, as well as offerings from participating and supporting entities.

The Al Dhafra Mekshat Camp gives visitors the opportunity to taste traditional Emirati dishes and learn how to prepare them. Daily programmes are held at the camp, located opposite the festival venue, featuring traditional cooking demonstrations in a distinctive heritage atmosphere. The camp also showcases Arabic coffee preparation, including the etiquette of coffee-making (“Sana‘ Al Qahwa”), how it is served, and the customs and traditions of welcoming guests.

The Al Dhafra Shooting Club announced a record participation of 10,000 male and female shooters in four different shooting activities held at its camp, which is running until 3 January as part of the Liwa International Festival.

Participants demonstrated outstanding skills in electronic shooting, air pistol, air rifle, archery, and arrow shooting.

Abdullah Hamad Al Marri, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the club, confirmed that the camp achieved its objectives of promoting shooting as a sport, raising awareness of its importance, and demonstrating safe practice, with trainers present to support participants and provide all necessary facilities.