Under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy President of the State, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of the Presidential Court, the 22nd edition of the Liwa Date Festival launches today. Organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the festival runs until the 23rd of this month in the city of Liwa in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi.
The festival coincides with the country's date season and aims to entrench the historic status of the date palm and preserve it, highlight its place in Emirati society, contribute to the sustainability of the heritage and agricultural sectors, raise awareness of the importance of agriculture in the country, and safeguard Emirati heritage and pass it on to future generations.
It also seeks to stimulate economic activity in the Al Dhafra region, strengthen the food security framework, and showcase the emirate of Abu Dhabi's efforts to promote awareness of modern agriculture.
Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of the Festivals and Events sector at the Authority, said the festival features 23 competitions with 295 prizes totalling approximately 8 million dirhams (AED), including 11 competitions for date quality, 7 fruit competitions, and 3 model farm competitions for the eastern and western Liwa settlements and Al Dhafra cities, as well as a Most Beautiful Date Harvest Basket competition and a Creativity from the Date Palm Trunk competition.
He added that the festival includes a heritage market, a crafts corner, as well as a market for selling dates, date palm seedlings, and agricultural tools, a children's corner designed to instil a spirit of cooperation and teamwork, along with daily folk arts performances, interactive competitions, awareness segments on stage, and other activities awaiting visitors.
The first day of the Liwa Date Festival will see the receipt and judging of dates entered in the Al Dabbas and Kharayef Al Bayt competitions, with results to be announced on the second day, along with the receipt, judging, and announcement of results for the Largest Ajdha competition, and registration for the model farm competition in the categories of eastern and western Liwa settlements and Al Dhafra city farms. On Monday, entries for the Creativity from the Date Palm Trunk competition were received.