The eighth edition of the Crown Prince Camel Festival 2026 opened on Thursday in Taif under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, organized by the Saudi Camel Federation from September 3 to 13, offering prize money exceeding SAR 50 million.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, expressed gratitude to the Crown Prince for his continued support, stating that the patronage reflects the leadership's commitment to camel racing as a cultural heritage and aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals.
The festival features 248 races across categories including Haqayeq, Laqaya, Jtha', Thnaya, Heil, and Zamoul, alongside production-only races for Saudi participants, with the top prize of SAR 500,000 for the festival cup. For the first time, the event also includes Mazayen beauty contests for camels in various colors.
Last year's edition set four Guinness World Records, including the largest camel racing festival with 21,637 camels, a 93.5% increase from the first edition, and over 100,000 camels participating across all seven previous editions.