King Abdulaziz Camel Festival: the eleventh edition
The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival brings together camel competitions and the cultural, social and economic heritage surrounding camels. It is organised by the Camel Club and is historically associated with Al-Sayahid, northeast of Riyadh. The official 2026–2027 camel-racing calendar places the festival at the Rumah track in December 2026.
This guide concerns the eleventh edition and reflects information verified by 25 October 2026. Upcoming-edition details are kept separate from examples drawn from earlier festivals, so that previous programmes and dates are not presented as confirmed activities or visiting days for the new edition.
When will the 2026 festival take place?
The available official timing indication is December 2026. The opening and closing days of the complete festival programme, and public visiting hours, still await detailed confirmation from the organiser. A Saudi Press Agency report dated 31 May 2026 places the festival in Rumah in December. Visit Saudi separately lists the eleventh King Abdulaziz Camel Racing Award for 1–31 December 2026. That range belongs to the racing-award listing and is not automatically adopted here as the duration of every festival activity.
The directory therefore retains a date-to-be-announced status for the precise schedule, while showing December as a qualified partial indication. No estimated start or end dates have been entered, and the festival is not described as postponed. The Camel Club announcement concerning reservations for market sites at the eleventh edition is also distinct from a public-admission or ticket announcement.
Previous editions: historical reference, not a confirmed schedule
- Tenth edition: opened on 1 December 2025 and concluded on 3 January 2026 after 34 days, according to SPA opening and closing reports.
- Ninth edition: ran from 1 December 2024 to 3 January 2025 in Al-Sayahid, according to Saudipedia.
These editions indicate a winter pattern beginning in early December and continuing into early January. They do not establish 1 December 2026 or 3 January 2027 as the next festival dates. The tenth edition ending in January 2026 must not be confused with the forthcoming eleventh edition.
Understanding the festival experience
Camel beauty competitions and camel racing are different strands of the festival. The former involve judged competitions, while racing centres on performance on the track. Categories, rounds, eligibility rules and prizes must be checked against the relevant edition guide. Previous prize figures or entry requirements should not be treated as the rules for 2026 without a current announcement.
The cultural programme also provides context beyond competition. Exhibitions at the ninth edition’s cultural camp introduced camel history, types, colours, ages and traditional equipment. SPA coverage of the tenth edition described live displays and interactive experiences exploring the animal’s social and cultural significance. These are documented examples of earlier programmes, not a confirmed activity list for the eleventh edition.
Culture, learning and family activities in earlier editions
The ninth edition’s cultural camp offered experiences involving camel riding, camel milking, Saudi coffee, Arabic calligraphy and desert life. Such examples help explain the festival’s heritage focus, but visitors should await the new programme rather than assume that every activity will return.
Riyadh Education participated in the tenth edition with national-identity, arts and heritage displays and educational activities for children. The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, Darah, also recorded filmed interviews with older community members and camel owners to preserve oral histories. Together, these earlier contributions illustrate the festival’s educational and documentary role alongside its competitions.
The market and camel-related economy
The festival also brings together heritage-related trade and visitor services. Al-Dahna Street at the ninth edition included restaurants, camel-supply shops and heritage products. Commercial-space and camel-market reservations have their own processes; their availability is not evidence that general visitor registration is open or that a particular service is confirmed for the next edition.
Organiser, location and planning a visit
The organiser is the Camel Club. The established festival area is Al-Sayahid northeast of Riyadh, while the current racing calendar names the Rumah track. The eleventh-edition guide is needed to confirm entrances, activity zones, parking and access routes. This listing does not provide guessed coordinates or an unverified entrance map.
- Check both activity dates and public opening hours before planning a visit. Competition timetables may differ from cultural-area hours.
- Distinguish competition entry, market-site reservations and general admission; their conditions may differ.
- No ticket prices, free-entry claim or eleventh-edition booking link have been verified for this guide.
- Access information, family facilities and visitor services should be checked against the current official guide rather than inferred from an earlier edition.
Official sources and updates
Last editorial review: 25 October 2026. The pending precise schedule reflects the limits of verified information and is not an announcement of cancellation or postponement.
- SPA: 2026–2027 camel-racing season calendar
- Visit Saudi: King Abdulaziz Camel Racing Award listing
- Camel Club: eleventh-edition market-site reservations
- SPA: tenth-edition opening and closing
- Saudipedia: ninth edition
- Cultural-camp exhibition and heritage experiences
- Tenth-edition cultural camp
- Darah’s oral-history work and Riyadh Education participation
- Al-Dahna Street at the ninth edition
