Al Dhafra Festival showcases Emirati traditions

Camel beauty shows, traditional souq and local traditions highlight the annual festival

The annual Al Dhafra Festival returned to the Madinat Zayed in Al Gharbia (The Western Region) with bigger events and exciting competitions to showcase the best of Bedouin traditions.

The annual festival which took place until 1st January 2015, brought some of the most beautiful and highly valuable camels from all over the Arabian Gulf including UAE to enter different competitions, categories and laps with more than Dh55 million in prizes to give away.

Organised by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee – Abu Dhabi (CPHFC), the Al Dhafra Festival is bigger this year with more events including 72 competitions for the camel beauty shows in addition to other contests related to Emirati traditions such as best milking camel, saluki race, falconry, dates and dates packaging, handicrafts, photography and classic cars competition. A highlight of the festival was the horse race and the best handmade cover competition for the winning camels which was held for the first time this year.

Tilal Liwa Hotel, a secluded hideaway leisure resort perched on the edge of Rub Al Khali Desert, is pleased to welcome the organizers and participants of the festival who will be staying at the property to experience true Arabian hospitality.

Khaled Sharabassy, General Manager, Tilal Liwa Hotel, said: “The Al Dhafra Festival is a much-anticipated event because the festival revives the Arab civil heritage which a lot of the younger generations today may not be familiar with. The festival also introduces Bedouin life to visitors of the UAE who are interested in knowing and experiencing their culture. We are very fortunate that our location is very close to Al Gharbia where most of the events will take place. We congratulate the organizers and the participants of yet another successful year of the festival!”