The Crown Prince Camel Festival 2026 in Taif is set for a historic evening on Saturday as the Al-Haqa'iq category concludes and the first cups of the eighth edition get underway, with prize money exceeding SAR 6 million allocated for the closing night's races, according to the Saudi Camel Racing Federation.
The festival, which began last Thursday under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and runs until September 13, has seen the Al-Haqa'iq category host 92 heats over three days, each covering two kilometers, with total prizes of SAR 13.3 million distributed among participants, reflecting the competitive spirit of this heritage sport.
In the evening's featured cups, the winner of the 'Bakar - General' heat will receive SAR 700,000, while SAR 500,000 awaits the champions of the 'Bakar - Open' and 'Saudi Production - Bakar General' heats, and similar amounts are set for the Qa'dan category, with SAR 500,000 for the 'Qa'dan - General' winner and SAR 400,000 for each of the 'Qa'dan - Open' and 'Saudi Production - Qa'dan General' victors.
The organizing committee has structured the prize distribution to boost competition, allocating SAR 90,000 per heat for the general morning and evening races, shared among the top ten finishers, while the six cup heats award prizes to the first five places only, bringing the total for the closing evening session to SAR 6.1 million.
Following the Al-Haqa'iq finale, the festival moves to its next stage on Sunday with the Al-Liqaya category, featuring 64 heats over four kilometers spread across three consecutive days, promising camel racing enthusiasts further excitement and reaffirming Taif's status as a hub of authentic heritage.