Handmade heritage and cultural crafts await this November…

Capital residents, if you’re sick of spending all summer in the confines of air conditioned walls, here’s some welcome news for you.

Al Ain’s Traditional Handicrafts Festival returns from November 1 to 20 this year at the Souq Al Qattara, to wow residents of the UAE. The annual winter event will give visitors a closer look at traditional Emirati handicrafts through live demonstrations, exciting competitions and interactive workshops. Open competitions will include Qahwa and Emirati cuisine preparation, and the festival will also include musical performances and other interactive events.

 

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Now in its ninth year, the festival aims to attract handicraft enthusiasts and practitioners of traditional industries from all over the nation. It aims to promote and preserve traditional Emirati handicrafts, develop them as a source of income, diversify the economy and pass down cultural know-how from generation to generation.

For fans of handmade clothing styles, crafts under the spotlight generally include Al Sadu weaving and Talli embroidery. And while you’re checking those out, traditional performances such as Al Ayyala and Al Taghrooda, and performances from Bait Al Oud and Emirati singers promise to keep you entertained.

Al Ain’s Traditional Handicraft Festival is a flagship event of the Souq Al Qattar. It is focused on Emirati heritage, and promotes the cultural legacy of the emirate while striving to protect and preserve the cultural identity of its people. The Souq promotes local craftsmanship and stocks authentic Emirati clothing, perfume, spices and jewellery among other products native to the UAE.

After a long summer of being chained to desks, couches and screens, the prospect of getting out and about at the traditional markets in the cooler months is just what we need. For more information, visit abudhabiculture.ae.