The Al Dhafra Camel Festival – the Desert Diva’s Favourite Event
My favourite event of the year will soon be here. Dates are not yet announced, but it’s likely to be a January 2026 start and finish. In the cities of the UAE, expats rarely meet Emirati families, and the Al Dhafra Camel Festival presents an ideal opportunity for a glimpse into the world of the modern
Bedouin.
Many moons ago, even before the UAE became the wonderful country it is today,
people would travel vast distances to come together at camel race meets. The
Al Dhafra festival celebrates this tradition although the camels have a much easier time of getting to the festival.
Back in the day, camels would be bought and sold, falcons would be raced as would
the Arabian hunting dog, the saluki, and families would take the time to reacquaint
themselves with their distant relatives, and much the same as happens at Al Dhafra
today!
You will see numberplates from KSA, Qatar, Oman and even Bahrain and Kuwait as
the camel owners of the Gulf converge south of the city of Madinat Zayed in the Al
Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi.
Getting to the Al Dhafra Camel Festival
Firstly, getting there is easy these days since the E11 has increased from 2 lanes
each way to 4, and higher speed limits put in place – if you last visited the area
before 2018, don’t worry, the drive is now a dream! The E11 from Abu Dhabi
westwards is now 160km per hour, though that’s a limit, not a target, and the
E45 from the Tarif ADNOC south to Madinat Zayed is now 140km per hour. Both
roads are streetlit, have wide lanes and hard shoulders.
The festival is held 15kms south of the city of Madinat Zayed, just set your google
maps for the Tilal Liwa Hotel and it will take you to it!
Where to Stay
There are 2 hotels in the area which are always full for the festival, however if you
have a tent then camping opportunities abound. Alternatively, you can get there
in about 1.5hours from the Abu Dhabi Mafraq junction.
However, my top things to see at the festival are not on the official program!
The Insider’s Guide
Lots of newspapers have covered the festival, however, their reporters, unlike me,
have never lived in Beda Zayed (Madinat Zayed’s old name) nor can claim to
have visited the camel festival in 12 years out of the last 15!
Camel Race Practice
Although it may mean an early start for you, I recommend you arrive about 9am.
Once you leave the main road and turn into the festival area, you will see a camel
racetrack on your left – you will not find daily races as part of the event, but you
will see racing camels being exercised or trained every morning from sunrise until
around 10am, maybe even later, and also in the two hours before sunset.
Exercising – draped in coats and ridden by humans, they go round the track at a
slow pace.
Practising – the young camels are being readied for racing with robot jockeys
attached. Their owners will follow them round the track in their Patrol or
Landcruiser, shouting encouragement via an intercom on the robot, as well as
beeping the car horn to simulate some of the noise on an actual race.
Camels Crossing at the “Special Camel Corridor”
A pedestrian crossing for camels, this is a must get photo for your album! You have
to cross it on your way to the Souq/arena, so don’t worry, there is no way you will
miss it! Please avoid photographing the police who are supervising.
Camel Beauty Judging
After you are finished with the racing, follow the signs for the Souq, park up and
make your way to the grandstand area – there you will find the camel beauty
contests being judged most mornings – try to be there between 9am and 11am. Enter at the VIP area where you will be seated, given ghawa (lovely Arabic coffee), water and sometimes dates, and then taken by a guide down into the judging area. See below for a guide on how to judge a beautiful Asayel (beige coloured) camel!
Prizegiving
Most days (but some years not Fridays) at approx. 3.30-4pm there is a prizegiving – be at
the grandstand really early to guarantee entry and a seat! The atmosphere is amazing, and the compere is incredible, building the excitement up until he announces “Namoooooooooose” (winner/standard bearer).
Guthra (headdresses) are thrown in the air by the winning family and unsurprisingly, there is much rejoicing – some of the prizes, depending on class, are 200,000 aed! After this the winning camels are taken to be anointed with saffron, then they will be paraded down Million Street.
Million Street
At 4.45pm-5pm you want to be on Million Street to see any sporadic camel auctions
which take part in the middle of the street, as well as the chance to join in, or just
watch, the winners being paraded back to their camp. There is much noise, crazy
driving, music, flags, children standing atop cars, and as before, the atmosphere is
incredible.
Million Street Souq
Although your visit will probably just last a day, bedu families come and camp here
for weeks, and a whole little “high street” springs up to cater for their needs. Food
trucks, laundries, camping gear shops, winter clothes shops are here, as well as
Baqalas (convenience stores) and restaurants (tip: Eyes of Gulf does the most
amazing food! Their sign is in Arabic but ask any native speaker to point you in the
right direction)
Heritage Souq
Spend some time in the souq where there are many little shops selling traditional
Emirati craft items as well as exhibitions by government organisations such as
ADNOC, Environmental agency etc. In the evenings there is a program of entertainment, plus kid’s craft activities and much more.
Evening Hospitality
There are some camps which offer hospitality for all guests, hook up with a local guide
and they will take you to one for dinner!
Fill up at the temporary ADNOC station
You will find this beside the first roundabout, one of the many quaint things about
the event!
Check out the lights on the camps at night
A few years ago, a prize was introduced for the best camp and since then a lot of
effort has been put into creating something very special. There are dozens of
them which are quite a spectacle to see as you leave the event grounds.
Hospitality
Emiratis are famed for their legendary hospitality and you will be offered copious
cups of ghawa, water, dates and fruit! They are honoured that we westerners are
taking an interest in their culture and traditions, and in return, we should
appreciate and respect them for their generosity.
Tips
Please dress modestly. Short shorts and strappy tops are not suitable for this event
– it is quite cold here now anyways, so you will be more comfortable with loose
warm clothes. Long trousers, tshirts, shirts/blouses are fine, and if you are here
early morning/evening you will need a fleece or light jacket as it is cold!
Do not take pictures of local ladies, in fact be careful of taking any photos where
the people are easily identifiable. Always ask, “soora ok?”
Return smiles with smiles, most of the people you encounter will speak English but
please, if you have some words of Arabic, use them. A few Salam Alaykum’s,
Shukrans and Mashallah’s go a long way!
Check out this video made by the lovely Gina – you will even see yours truly featured!
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