Madinat Zayed, Al Dhafra Region
14-28 December
The greatest showcase of bedouin lifestyle
This is the one festival that embodies the spirit of heritage in this part of the world. If Paris fashion week in undoubtedly the main yearly must go to event for the Haute Couture world, then AlDhafra festival is the place to be for the lovers and admirers of bedouin life and culture.
The program of the festival includes first and foremost the famous Mazayna, a beauty contest for camels and a celebration of this most beloved animal that played a huge role in sustaining life in these arid lands long before the oil and wealth era.
Visitors of the festival will admire and never forget the cheers and traditional chants of the tribes when celebrating their winning camel while marking the head of the animal with a paste made with the expensive and rare Saffron along with other aromatics.