The Crown Prince Camel Festival 2026, held at the historic Taif track under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, opened with Saudi-owned camel 'Muta'ba' securing the best time in the 'Haqa'iq' category for general 'Bakar' races, finishing in 2:53.932 minutes.
The first day of the eighth edition, organized by the Saudi Camel Federation, saw 1,640 camels compete across 38 races over a 2-kilometer distance, split between morning and evening sessions. The morning session featured 921 camels in 21 races, while the evening session included 719 camels in 17 races.
The organizing committee allocated 13.3 million SAR in prizes for the 'Haqa'iq' category, with 1.8 million SAR for the morning session and 1.5 million SAR for the evening session. Saudi camels claimed victories in 9 evening races, followed by 4 for UAE camels, 3 for Qatari camels, and 1 for Kuwaiti camels.
The 'Haqa'iq' category continues for three days with a total of 92 races, before moving on to other age categories such as 'Laqaya', 'Jatha', 'Thnaya', 'Hail' and 'Zamoul', as well as the 'Hijana' race. Organizers noted that the Crown Prince's support has transformed camel racing from a folk heritage into a comprehensive sports and economic industry aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, positioning the Kingdom as a global hub for camel racing events and boosting economic and tourism activity in host regions.