The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry SCCI has finalised all preparations to launch the 10th edition of the Al Dhaid Date Festival, which will take place from 23 to 26 July at Expo Al Dhaid.
This year’s edition will feature extensive participation from palm farmers and leading date producers from across the UAE, alongside key government and private sector entities involved in the agricultural sector. Celebrating a decade since its launch, the festival has evolved into one of the most important economic, heritage-themed, and agricultural events annually organised by the Sharjah Chamber.
The Al Dhaid Date Festival focuses on promoting the UAE’s date palm cultivation by encouraging the adoption of best farming practices and supporting farmers in enhancing crop quality and productivity, thereby advancing SCCI’s broader objectives of strengthening food security and fostering sustainable agricultural growth.
A Diverse Competition Programme:
This year’s festival features an expanded programme of competitions with valuable prizes awarded across several key categories. These include “Ratb (Date) Beauty” Contest for the Khneizi, Khalas, and Shishi varieties, along with two elite categories: “General Dhaid Elite Dates” and “Special Dhaid Elite Dates” for Northern Emirates farmers. Other competitions target specific community groups, such as the newly launched “Ratb Al Kharaif Beauty” Contest for children and “The Most Beautiful Home-grown Dates” (only for women), in addition to red fig and local lemon categories.
Complementing the competition programme is a comprehensive schedule of cultural and heritage events and activities, together with a series of advisory workshops and expert-led seminars focused on modern agricultural methods and palm tree care. These events aim to promote innovation in farming practices and encourage the adoption of advanced agricultural technologies to increase the productivity and quality of locally grown produce.
A Decade of Sustainable Impact on the Agricultural Sector:
In his remarks, H.E. Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director-General of SCCI, said that reaching the 10th edition of the Al Dhaid Date Festival marks a strategic milestone that reflects the success of SCCI’s vision of transforming specialised events into sustainable platforms with a lasting impact on the agricultural sector and its integration into the emirate’s broader development agenda.
He explained that, over the past decade, the festival has established itself as a trusted platform for date palm farmers and agricultural researchers, strengthening links between local agricultural production and markets while supporting producers in developing value-added supply chains for fresh dates and date products.
Al Awadi noted that this year’s edition has been developed with enhanced judging standards and expanded competition categories to engage a broader cross-section of participants, including date farmers from across the UAE, homemakers, and children. He said this broader participation strengthens the festival’s community impact while reinforcing Al Dhaid’s position as an integrated economic and heritage destination that underscores Sharjah’s strategic commitment to investing in its agricultural resources and preserving its authentic cultural legacy.
He added that the Sharjah Chamber will continue to expand the Al Dhaid Date Festival’s programmes and accompanying activities in the coming years to build a sustainable ecosystem for supporting farmers in the Central and Eastern Regions of the emirate.
Competition Entry Requirements:
The festival’s competition programme will begin on Thursday, 23 July, with the “Khneizi Dates Beauty” and the “Best Local Lemon” contests. On Friday, 24 July, the programme will feature the “Al-Khalas Dates Beauty” and the “Red Fig” contests, followed on Saturday, 25 July, by the “Shishi Dates” competition, and the women’s “Most Beautiful Home-grown Dates” Contest.
The 10th Al Dhaid Date Festival will conclude on Sunday, 26 July, with the announcement of the winners of the “General Dhaid Elite Dates” and the “Northern Emirates Dhaid Elite Dates” competitions, alongside the children’s “Ratb Al Kharaif Beauty” Contest. Entries will be accepted daily from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM, while the winners will be recognised during award ceremonies held after Maghrib prayer.
The Organising Committee of the Al Dhaid Date Festival has established general conditions and specific participation requirements for this year’s date competitions. All entries must consist of locally produced crops from the UAE’s 2026 harvest, sourced exclusively from the participant’s own farm.
Participants must also submit dates at the optimal stage of ripeness. The dates should be free from insect infestations, dead insects, or any apparent defects, and weigh 4kg including the harvesting basket (mikhrafa), which must be presented without suspension ropes.
For the “General Dhaid Elite Dates” category, participants are required to submit five varieties weighing 3 kilograms each, while the “Special Dhaid Elite Dates” category requires four varieties, each weighing 4 kilograms. Entries for the Local Lemon Competition must weigh 8 kilograms and the Red Fig Competition requires 3 kilograms. The Most Beautiful Home-grown Dates Competition is restricted to women aged 25 years and above from the Northern Emirates, while the children’s “Ratb Al Kharaif Beauty” Contest is open exclusively to participants from the Emirate of Sharjah aged 7 to 15 years.
“Bisharat Al-Qaydh” Competition Awards 20 Winners
The Al Dhaid Date Festival, which will be open daily from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, also featured the second edition of the “Bisharat Al-Qaydh” competition, a specialised initiative launched by the Sharjah Chamber last year to encourage excellence in early-season date production.
This year, the competition attracted 70 participants, who competed by showcasing premium Naghal Dates from the UAE’s 2026 local harvest. A total of 20 winners were honoured during the press conference announcing the launch of the festival’s 10th edition, in recognition of their commitment to best agricultural practices in palm cultivation and the production of high-quality early-season dates.
The competition reinforces the Sharjah Chamber’s efforts to celebrate the arrival of the “Al-Qaydh” harvest season while fostering a culture of quality, innovation, and healthy competition within the UAE’s agricultural sector.
