The inaugural Al Wathba Date Festival is running until 9 August in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, and its opening day alone pulled in 440kg of fresh dates and mangoes from 78 farmers. The festival sits inside the Sheikh Zayed Summer Festival and is organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority.
The date entries — 300kg across 100 harvest baskets from 50 participants — landed in the Kharaif Al Bait competition. Another 140kg of locally grown mangoes arrived through the Local Mango and Mixed Mango categories, split between 28 participants. Results for the Khalas Open, Khalas Abu Dhabi Farms, Abu Dhabi Elite Dates and Red and Yellow Fig competitions are due on Wednesday evening.
The heaviest bunch wins
The marquee event already has its champions. Moza Mohammed Afsan Al Mazrouei took first place in the Largest Date Bunch competition with a bunch weighing 86.6kg, worth AED 50,000. Obaid Saeed Naseeb Khamis Al Mazrouei placed second at 83.5kg (AED 40,000), and Saleham Harmous Saeed Al Mazrouei third at 82.3kg (AED 30,000). Fifteen prizes were on offer, totalling AED 234,000.
| Place | Farmer | Bunch weight | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Moza Mohammed Afsan Al Mazrouei | 86.6kg | AED 50,000 |
| 2nd | Obaid Saeed Naseeb Khamis Al Mazrouei | 83.5kg | AED 40,000 |
| 3rd | Saleham Harmous Saeed Al Mazrouei | 82.3kg | AED 30,000 |
AED 50,000 for 86.6kg works out to roughly AED 577 a kilo, which is a rate most date stalls can only dream of.
The Al Wathba Date Festival by the numbers
The week carries 18 competitions and 240 prizes worth AED 5.677 million in total, including ten rutab beauty competitions — the official term for judging how good a date looks. The festival runs under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, per the Abu Dhabi Media Office.
“H.H. Sheikh Mansour’s patronage reflects the UAE leadership’s commitment to supporting date palm cultivation and Emirati farmers, continuing the approach of the late Sheikh Zayed in promoting agriculture and preserving the date palm’s place in the country’s heritage.”
— Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of the Festivals and Events Sector, Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority
The festival exists to make date farming pay and to give younger Emiratis a reason to know their dates.
What’s on
Beyond the weigh-ins, a date market lets farmers sell directly to buyers, with no middlemen taking a cut. The Maqeethna Heritage Camp covers majlis etiquette, Arabic coffee culture, traditional crafts, Emirati cuisine, folk performances and traditional games, plus digital heritage experiences aimed at younger visitors. Workshops and lectures on modern agricultural practice run alongside.
The festival is also the emirate’s third date festival. Liwa has been at it for more than two decades and returned this year with AED 8 million in prizes; Al Ain’s first rutab festival launched earlier in 2026.
The same Abu Dhabi machinery funds agri-tech startups through the UAE FoodTech Challenge, whose US$2 million prize pool backs food production in arid conditions. On the heritage side, Emirati women compete hard in the Best Harvest Basket category — the route tbreak traced through NAMA’s Sharjah programme, which trains women to turn home gardens into saleable businesses.
Plan your visit
The festival runs daily from 4pm to 10pm until 9 August at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. There is no ticketing; visitors walk in. If you are going for the dates, arrive before the market sells out — rutab season does not wait for anyone.
Where and when is the Al Wathba Date Festival 2026?
The inaugural Al Wathba Date Festival runs from 3 to 9 August 2026 at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, as part of the Sheikh Zayed Summer Festival. It is open daily from 4pm to 10pm, with no ticket required.
What is the Largest Date Bunch competition?
Farmers submit their heaviest single date bunch for weighing. This year’s winner was an 86.6kg bunch from Moza Mohammed Afsan Al Mazrouei, who took AED 50,000. The 15 prizes in the category totalled AED 234,000.
What else happens at the festival besides the competitions?
A date market sells fresh produce directly from farmers, and the Maqeethna Heritage Camp runs majlis etiquette, Arabic coffee culture, traditional crafts, Emirati cuisine, folk performances and traditional games. Workshops and lectures on modern agricultural practice run alongside.
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