The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Camel Festival 2026 kicks off with prizes totaling 75 million
The eyes of lovers of authenticity and Arab heritage will turn tomorrow, Friday, towards the Saudi capital, Riyadh, specifically the historic Janadriyah Square, where the activities of the third edition of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Camel Festival 2026 will begin. This huge sporting and heritage event will continue for 10 days, combining the authenticity of the past with modern organizational techniques, with wide participation from camel owners in the Kingdom, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the world.
This year's festival is distinguished by its diverse categories and competitions, with participants competing in five approved camel categories, in addition to a camel race for human riders, open to both men and women. This reflects the festival's inclusiveness and openness to all segments of the sporting community. The accompanying events also feature "beauty" competitions, which focus on the beauty and rare characteristics of camels. The organizing committee has allocated substantial prize money exceeding 75 million riyals, making it one of the most valuable championships on the international camel racing calendar.
This edition builds upon the success that began with the inaugural edition in 2024, which laid the foundation for this international event, and continued with the second edition in 2025, which witnessed significant leaps in the number of participants and the development of the infrastructure at the Janadriyah racecourse. These developments contributed to improving the quality of the tracks and logistical services, which positively impacted the times recorded in the races and reinforced the festival's position as a preferred destination for trainers and owners seeking high-level competition.
From an economic and cultural perspective, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Camel Festival represents a significant contributor to achieving the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 in its cultural and sporting aspects. Camel racing is not merely a sport; it is a deeply rooted cultural heritage within Saudi and Arab identity. This festival stimulates economic activity through buying and selling markets, supports local producers, and promotes heritage tourism, underscoring the Kingdom's leading role in preserving and promoting intangible heritage globally.
On the technical front, the festival's opening day features 40 races dedicated to the "Haqayiq" category, divided into 30 general races and 10 open races, each covering a distance of 4 kilometers. Prizes totaling 16.18 million riyals have been allocated for this category on the first day. Overall, the total prize money for the general and open races, as well as the camel racing competition, amounts to 35.9 million riyals, while the cup and symbol races have garnered 36.4 million riyals, in addition to 2.7 million riyals for the beauty contest prizes.
The camel sector enjoys generous and unlimited support from the wise leadership - may God support them - as the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, for this festival represents confirmation of the great care given to this heritage, and the keenness to pass it on to future generations in an honorable manner befitting the status of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its ancient history.
