Camel beauty contest to return as part of Al Dhafra Festival this year

The festival will be going ahead between November and January 2021…

Abu Dhabi Media Office has shared the news that under the patronage of Mohamed bin Zayed, the 14th edition of Al Dhafra Festival – will be going ahead this year.

Taking place between November 5, 2020 and January 29, 2021 at Madinat Zayed in Al Dhafrah — the festival celebrates the rich cultural history of the UAE, with traditional competitions and events.

Those events include camel, falcon and goat beauty contests. And why not, if British dog-fancying competition, Crufts can pull in 11 million viewers globally, there’s surely space for appreciating the beautiful beasts of this region.

Under the patronage of Mohamed bin Zayed, the 14th edition of Al Dhafra Festival will be held from 5 Nov 2020 to 29 Jan 2021 at Madinat Zayed in Al Dhafrah, with precautionary and preventative measures implemented by the Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee pic.twitter.com/C2d41V8GXr

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) September 28, 2020

There’s also purebred horse racing, saluki (a locally indigenous breed of dog) racing, as well as falconry and shooting tournaments. The latter two, not overlapping of course.

Usually there’s a local bazar offering items of cultural relevance and food options, this year though as part of enhanced safety measures. There will be no bazar, no bazr.

Other safety checks in place include the usual pandemic suspects: temperature monitoring, the requirement for everyone to wear masks, social distancing and periodic sterilisation schedules.

Images: Unspalsh