Here’s something to chew on… the ninth edition of the Liwa Date Festival has been announced to run from the 18th to 25th July.
Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the festival is hosted in Al Gharbia, Abu Dhabi’s Western Region and celebrates the history and traditions of the date palm.
For the first time, the festival’s dates will fall during the Holy Month of Ramadan. Offering prizes totalling AED five million; a large public turnout is expected. In addition to the morning session, the festival will be open daily after iftar or the fast-breaking, from 8pm to 1am.
The chairman of the Higher Organising Committee for the Liwa Date Festival, Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei said: “The one-of-a-kind festival offers an exclusive celebration of the dates’ season, which was considered by our ancestors as
the beginning of a new season of abundant blessings.”
With over 1,500 participants last year, this year’s edition is proving to be just as competitive. Director of Liwa Date Festival Mr Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei revealed that three promotion rounds for the date varieties of Dabbas, Khallas and Nukhba will be introduced.
“The festival’s committee is always keen to support all participants, without exception. During the previous edition, the organising committee bought different varieties of ripe dates from farmers at a cost of two million dirhams. The winners were awarded 160 prizes worth 4.2 million dirhams to reward them for the high quality of their production and the adoption of the best farming methods,” said Mr Al Mazrouei.
The total prize money for the ninth edition will be approximately AED five million.
