Liwa Rutab Festival 2026: Celebrating the UAE's Desert Date Harvest

The 22nd edition of the Liwa Rutab Festival is open now, running from July 14 to 23, 2026, in the city of Liwa in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra Region. One of the UAE's largest celebrations of rutab — the soft, semi-ripe stage of the date fruit — the festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court.

Why Rutab Matters

Dates pass through four ripening stages: kimri (unripe and green), khalal (yellow and crunchy), rutab (soft, juicy, and semi-ripe), and finally tamr (the fully dried dates sold year-round). Rutab is available for only a matter of weeks each summer, its soft texture and elevated moisture giving it a flavour closer to caramel candy than to dried fruit, something that cannot be replicated from a shelf product. The season typically begins in June and peaks in July and August, when the Liwa region's date farms are in full harvest.

The Liwa area in Al Dhafra is widely regarded as the heart of the UAE's rutab production, home to varieties including Khalas, Dabbas, Khenaizi, Fard, Barhi, and Buma'an. For many Emirati families, the arrival of fresh rutab from Liwa marks the true beginning of summer.

Competitions and Prizes

This year's festival features 23 competitions with 295 prizes totalling more than AED 8 million. These include 11 rutab variety competitions, seven fruit competitions covering local and mixed mangoes, lemons, and figs, and three model farm competitions recognising best agricultural practices across Al Dhafra's Eastern and Western Mahadir and its cities. Also featured are a Best Rutab Basket competition and a Palm Trunk Creativity competition for art made from palm materials.

New for the 22nd edition is the Kharayef Al Bayt ("Home Harvest") competition, a category for families who cultivate their own produce at home. To ensure fairness and transparency, the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority has adopted clear judging criteria based on product quality and safety, compliance with technical requirements, and farm assessments. Registration for all competitions is handled online through the Falak Al Namoos smart application, which provides registration, application tracking, and access to regulations, schedules, and results.

Beyond the Contests

General admission to the festival grounds, located about two hours from Abu Dhabi by car, is free. Beyond the competitions, visitors can explore a rutab and agricultural products market, a heritage market, a traditional crafts corner, folk arts performances, and a family corner, along with awareness lectures and workshops and participation by government and private sector entities and strategic partners.

In a notable addition this year, Abu Dhabi Police are offering motorists in the emirate the chance to reduce accumulated traffic points by attending one of three daily awareness lectures held at the festival, at 4:30 PM, 6:00 PM, and 7:30 PM. Participants are required to bring their Emirates ID and arrive at least 30 minutes early to complete registration.

A Cultural Legacy

Abdullah Mubarak Al Muhairi, Acting Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, said that celebrating the rutab season is a legacy established by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE's founding father, "who elevated the palm tree into a symbol of generosity and development and enshrined it at the heart of Emirati society." That legacy, he noted, has been carried forward as a national commitment under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Officials describe the festival as an important national platform for supporting farmers and encouraging them to improve production and enhance the quality of Emirati rutab and agricultural products, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of local produce and ensuring the sustainability of the agricultural sector, in line with the nation's food security goals. Now in its 22nd consecutive year, the Liwa Rutab Festival serves, in the Authority's words, as "a vital bridge connecting younger generations with their national heritage and strengthening their national identity."