Dubai Date Festival Wraps Up With AED 1 Million Grant for Participants

The third edition of the Dubai Date Festival concluded on July 26th at Qalaat Al Rimal on the Dubai-Al Ain Road, bringing together farmers, families and heritage institutions to celebrate the UAE's date farming traditions.

This year's festival featured 15 competitions centred on the palm tree and the people behind its cultivation, with several new categories introduced as part of the programme.

Following the event, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, directed the allocation of AED 1 million to festival participants in recognition of their role in preserving and promoting the UAE's national heritage, according to the Dubai Media Office.

The festival also marks the start of this season's fresh date distribution campaign. The Community Development Authority has launched the second edition of the Kharayef Al Rutab initiative, which will distribute boxes of fresh dates to more than 5,000 families and other beneficiary groups across Dubai in partnership with national farms.

Around 1,000 Emirati volunteers are participating in the initiative, which aims to ensure seasonal date harvests reach families and communities throughout the emirate while supporting local agricultural traditions.