Abu dhabi: The Al Wathba Date Festival wrapped up its third edition, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court. The festival was organized as a part of the Sheikh Zayed Festival in the Al Wathba area by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, attracting a wide array of participants including palm farmers, producers, artists, photographers, and chefs from across the UAE.
According to Emirates News Agency, Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of the Festivals and Events Sector at the authority, and Mohammed Saif Al Nuaimi, Director-General of the Sheikh Zayed Festival, crowned the winners across various competitions. These competitions included date beauty contests, date packaging contests, live painting, photography, and cooking contests.
The winners of the date beauty contests were acknowledged across several categories such as Nokhbat Al Wathba, Dabbas, Khalas, Fardh, Shishi, Boumaan, and Zamli. A total of 101 participants took part in this competition, showcasing 5,525 kilogrammes of dates. The festival awarded prizes totaling AED280,000 to ten winners.
In the date packaging contests, held in categories of 'without additives' and 'stuffed dates,' 39 contestants participated, submitting 780 kilogrammes of dates. Prizes amounting to AED 135,000 were distributed to ten winners in each category.
The festival also featured a 'Date Auction,' which witnessed the sale of 3,403 kilogrammes of dates, fetching a total value of AED152,500. This event highlighted the active participation of farmers and producers, underscoring the festival's role in providing a specialized marketing platform for Emirati dates.