Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Ain Region, the 11th Traditional Handicrafts Festival is to be held by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi from 1-20 November 2025 at Souq Al Qattara, Al Ain Region.
The festival, which journeys into the heart of Emirati heritage and craftsmanship, will this year be held under the theme A Journey through Community Traditional Craftsmanship, in line with the UAE’s Year of Community.
Dedicated to empowering artisans, the annual celebration works closely with families in the handicrafts industry, offering support to help them meet modern consumer demands and avail of new career opportunities in innovation and product expansion. It creates a rich environment where visitors can engage in meaningful conversations with artisans through activities designed for genuine connection and cultural exchange.
His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “As we mark more than a decade of the Traditional Handicrafts Festival, our commitment to preserving and celebrating Emirati heritage has never been stronger. This festival is an exhibition of craftsmanship and a living expression of our culture, where tradition meets community and creativity. Connecting the rich tapestry of our past with the living heritage of our present, it has grown into a landmark event on Abu Dhabi’s cultural calendar, drawing visitors from across the Emirates and the Gulf region to witness the skills of our artisans and the stories behind them. In this Year of Community, the festival is a testament to the power of heritage to unite us, inspire pride and ensure our identity thrives for generations to come.”
In addition to crafts demonstrations, the festival features a diverse programme for visitors of all ages, including traditional performing arts, engaging games, exciting competitions, educational heritage workshops and a wide selection of authentic Emirati and contemporary culinary delights.
At the heart of the festival are four dedicated heritage crafts pavilions spotlighting various aspects of Emirati craftsmanship. The Emirati Gahwa Pavilion, where visitors can experience the making and serving rituals of gahwa, celebrates the nation’s traditions of hospitality with live demonstrations, storytelling and children’s workshops. The Traditional Weaving Pavilion showcases time-honoured techniques such as Al-Sadu and Khous, enriched with artisan storytelling and hands-on weaving experiences for various age ranges. The Traditional Fashion Pavilion focuses on traditional clothing, adornments and fragrances, with live demonstrations of perfume blending, incense making, tailoring and jewellery crafting, offering a sensory journey into Emirati beauty traditions. Completing the quartet, the Metal and Leather Crafts Pavilion highlights the essential crafts of forging and leatherworking, where master artisans demonstrate the creation of swords, daggers and household items, bringing to life the craftmanship embedded in these skills.
This year’s festival places significant focus on training and knowledge transfer, inviting its diverse audiences to participate in engaging workshops and educational programmes, fostering hands-on learning and cultural exchange that secures the sustainability of Emirati craftsmanship for younger generations. The festival also features the Mawhibaty programme, which showcases the creative talents of Emirati youth, and Sounds of the UAE, a programme celebrating the nation’s musical heritage through performances by Emirati artists.
In the Marketplace, visitors can explore handmade products and indulge in traditional food and drink, providing a platform for the productive families of Al Ain Region to showcase their skills, sustain their livelihoods and pass their knowledge on to future generations.
This year’s festival invites visitors to explore the immersive Al Jimi Oasis Trail and Al Qattara Oasis Trail, a living heritage experience extending into the UNESCO World Heritage landscape of Al Qattara Oasis. Introduced in celebration of Al Ain Region’s designation as the Gulf Tourism Capital 2025, this new activation transforms the historic setting into an extension of the festival, blending the shared traditions of the Gulf with the unique cultural and natural heritage of Al Ain Region. Spanning 1,400 metres, the route guides visitors through themed zones, each designed to deepen connections to GCC heritage and creativity. Visitors can experience cultural programmes showcasing generations of craftsmanship, discover ingenious ancient irrigation systems and learn through interactive displays. The journey continues into the oasis, where creativity comes alive through clay crafts and traditional architecture and the resourceful use of date palms is celebrated as a symbol of community and connection across the Gulf. Each zone provides memorable experiences that underscore the commitment to preserving and sharing Emirati and wider GCC culture, highlighting Al Ain Region as a premier cultural destination.
Within the Al Jimi and Al Qattara oasis trails are art installations from biannual light art exhibition Manar Abu Dhabi, which has returned under the theme The Light Compass. The exhibition reimagines light as more than illumination. It is memory, orientation and relation, rooted in ancestral ways of navigating the Gulf's skies and seas. The exhibition features artworks that explore the material, poetic and technological dimensions of light, mapping it across diverse landscapes. Through immersive installations, projection mapping and illuminated natural features, the exhibition offers a captivating exploration of light’s power.
Other immersive experiences include traditional performances and games tournaments, along with the event’s first-ever traditional games tournament dedicated to People of Determination.
The festival’s partners include the Department of Community Development – Abu Dhabi, Department of Municipalities and Transport, Zayed Authority for People of Determination, Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an, Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, Abu Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, Tadweer Group and Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility).
The Traditional Handicrafts Festival is a testament to Abu Dhabi’s commitment to safeguarding its rich cultural legacy and fostering a dynamic cultural ecosystem. The festival shares the emirate’s authentic identity and traditions with a global audience while empowering local artisans and ensuring the continuity of invaluable skills across generations.
The Traditional Handicrafts Festival will be open from 8am to 1pm for students, from 4pm to 11pm for the general public, and until midnight on weekends. Entry is free of charge.
