Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee-- Abu Dhabi arranges the 12th edition of the Liwa Date Festival from the 20th to the 30th of July, 2016 in the city of Liwa in Al Gharbia (The Western Region), in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Held on a area that stretches over 20,000 square metres, the Festival has become a significant event on the calendar of the annual tourist celebrations in Al Gharbia area. It has a capability to draw in between 60,000 and 70,000 visitors, consisting of foreign tourists who come to delight in the numerous activities and find the different elements of the genuine Emirati heritage.

With a total value of more than AED 6 million, 220 prizes are awaiting the winning individuals in the various heritage, cultural and art competitions, especially the Mazayna (competitions for the very best dates, consisting of different types and varieties), Best Lemons and Best Mangoes, the Fruits of your home competition, the very best Heritage Model competition, and the Model Farm Award.

The Liwa Date Festival is one of the most considerable events organised by the Committee with the goal of strengthening heritage as a starting point to advance to an honourable and promising future. Such an endeavour does guarantee a cultural development that commemorates heritage and safeguards popular heritage for generations to come," said Director of the Liwa Date Festival, Mr. Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei.

We continue to work towards the development of the palm plantation in the UAE in line with the guidance of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (May God bless his soul), the creator of the Emirati farming renaissance, and the instructions of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (May God protect him), President of the UAE and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. We also thank our leaders for offering all forms of assistance for the numerous heritage celebrations and activities," Al Mazrouei added.

Al Mazrouei hailed the continuous follow-up and the unlimited assistance of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region. He also extended his thanks to HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his charitable assistance for the Liwa Date Festival.

The Festival aspires to promote the financial activity in Al Gharbia area, and highlight the different elements of the Emirati culture, on the local and international levels. Among the leading concerns and crucial goals of the Festival is to motivate farmers to protect more quality so regarding obtain much better opportunities of quality and competitors in the UAE and the world.

Today, the Festival is pushing ahead with efforts to raise awareness - amongst regional farmers - about the latest agricultural innovations, and the very best methods to take care of palm trees, with the goal of accomplishing a better financial benefit. The event makes up, in fact, an excellent platform to motivate farmers to consider the quality of the production which is had to raise the status of the Emirati dates to the highest ranks and accomplish local and global excellence.

Director of the Liwa Date Festival, Mr. Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei stated that "the Festival aims at offering a distinct opportunity for the different generations to discover and learn more about the heritage, and the customs of the ancestors. The palm tree was and will continue to be a sign of the history and culture of the Arab society, in general, and the Emirati society, in particular."

"The historical status of the palm tree needs us to put in all the required efforts that are had to enhance the function of the palm tree and dates in our life and protect their eminent and esteemed position, he noted.

According to the United Nations, the UAE has actually succeeded, over the last years, in planting about 130 million trees, including 22 million palm trees, which constitutes 20% of the total variety of palm trees worldwide. The UAE likewise occupies a leading position, among more than 40 nations, as far as the production capacity and export volume are thought about.

"We are still aiming to achieve an international reality that is worth our pride, when it pertains to the field of palm trees and dates. We likewise continue to be keen on protecting our historic and nationwide legacy through the accumulation of efforts that focus on motivating the farmers to expand and establish the growing of excellent ranges of dates," Mr. Obaid Al Mazrouei included.

The categories of Al Ratab Beauty Competition (Date Mazayna) include: Al Kunaizi, Al Khallas, Al Dabbas, Bou Maan, Al Farth, Al Nukhba, and Biggest Etheg. Al Ratab competitors make up a distinct event of its kind to draw and motivate individuals to contend for top positions.

The announcement of the outcomes follows the assessment of farms according to precise and stringent norms and conditions that include the basic hygiene at the farm, the palm tree upkeep, making use of the best watering approaches to conserve water, and the commitment to deadlines when sending samples in accordance with categories and in respect of the predetermined dates announced by the Organising Committee.

For the 4th year in a row, three promotion rounds for the categories of Al Dabbas, Al Khallas, and Al Nukhba will be arranged. The 3 rounds are intended for individuals who have actually never won in any of the previous editions of the Festival. The objective consists in rewarding these participants for their continued partaking, in addition to encouraging and motivating them to make more efforts to take on others.

The Fruits of your house competitors consists of various and different fruits that need to be in your area produced and stemming from the garden or the farm owned by the participant. The intro of this competition came as part of the efforts made by the Organising Committee of the Festival to establish this leading event, reinforce performance, and improve the quality of the local fruit production.

The Model Farm Award honours the most sanitary farm. The competition jury will examine the farm throughout the year, not only during the Festival. The Model Farm Award targets at motivating farmers to enhance the quality of the product, preserve hygiene at the farm, restore old buildings at the property, establish the quality of the irrigation network, and preserve the quality of the soil and utilized products.

Arranged within the structure of the Liwa Date Festival, the 'Best Mangoes' and 'Best Lemons' Competitions include the following categories: the regional mango, the diverse mango, the local lemon and the diverse lemon.

When it comes to the very best Heritage Model Competition, the rules specify using natural products in the artwork, in any of the fields of the deep-rooted Emirati heritage. The jury will think about the variety of heritage pieces utilized in the artwork, the degree of workmanship, and the consistency in between the pre-owned contents. The artwork submitted for this competitors ought to palpably represent an element of the old lifestyle.

Arranged on the sidelines of the Festival, the Traditional Market is considered as an essential part of this unique yearly event. These products are mainly derived from palm trees and dates.

Over the years, the Festival has actually developed into an annual event to display the latest developments and foodstuff that rely in their manufacture on half-ripe dates and dates, as well as palm-related contents.

The Liwa Date Festival likewise features an unique bouquet of interesting activities that bring in all relative and strengthen the culture of palm trees and dates in the hearts and minds of various generations.

In each brand-new edition, the Festival enjoys the support of different state and official bodies, notably the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA - Abu Dhabi); the Ruler's Representative Court in the Western Region; the Department of Municipal Affairs (The Western Region Municipality); the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC); the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police (The Western Region Police Directorate); the Abu Dhabi Farmers' Services Centre (ADFSC); the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority; the Centre of Waste Management (Tadweer); the Department of Transport; the United Arab Emirates University; and Baynounah TELEVISION, the media partner of the Committee.