Fashion, arts, music and family activities to make AlUla Camel Cup an unmissable four-day extravaganza

• ·       Pinnacle event of the Saudi Arabian camel racing season to take place from March 14-17 with a grand prize pool of SAR80 million

The inaugural AlUla Camel Cup, to be held from March 14-17, 2023, will feature a range of world-class cultural, entertainment, musical and artistic activities in addition to the pinnacle event of the Saudi Arabian camel racing season. 

Held under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and organized by RCU in collaboration with the Saudi Camel Racing Federation (SCRF), the AlUla Camel Cup has a grand prize pool of SAR80 million.

Spectators from Saudi Arabia and across the world will flock to AlUla, a place of extraordinary human and natural heritage, to see the region’s fastest camels compete for a world record prize pot per round of racing. Complementing the exhilarating action of this cherished homegrown sport, the four-day festival will also enjoy hundreds of fun and exciting activations, specifically designed to pay tribute to the magnificent ‘ships of the desert’. 

Watching live camels and learning about their incredible feats and attributes, painting camel monuments, henna, calligraphy, and sand art areas are just some of the activities available. There is also camel rope tassel creation, camel hand puppets, camel string art, camel t-shirt stamping, sand bottling, and 360 video zones included in the fun-packed entertainment offering for the whole family to enjoy. 

Phillip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer, Royal Commission for AlUla, said: “AlUla Camel Cup is not just a sporting extravaganza, but a four-day festival of entertainment, education, culture, arts and music for everyone to enjoy. AlUla Camel Cup celebrates and preserves the cherished homegrown sport of camel racing, while elevating it to new heights in the splendor of AlUla. The festival, through the many races and the various activities, is an ode to the rich cultural inheritance of this ancient sport and a tribute to the camel and the land, bringing sport and heritage into motion.”

For music lovers, AlUla Came Cup will host a variety of global, regional, and local musical acts, headlined by renowned poets, musicians, and artists. A highlight of the festival will be the Heritage Village, which will offer a fascinating mix of retail shops and AlUla-inspired food and handicrafts. Embracing AlUla’s distinctive desert-glam style, the AlUla Camel Cup will also be an opportunity for fashionistas to showcase their individual style befitting of the warm days and cool evenings of winter in AlUla. 

More than 40 of the region’s finest racing camels have qualified for the AlUla Camel Cup, and will compete in different race formats, including a ‘Marathon of 6’ with a prize pool of SAR960,000 per round, a series of ‘Heritage Races’ made up of 8 rounds with a total prize pool of SAR51.2 million, and 2 rounds of ‘Elite Races’ offering a prize pool of SAR12 million each.

AlUla Camel Cup is one of the flagship sports events of AlUla Moments 2023 calendar of events and festivals, which includes five major festivals and six marque events. Other sports events taking place in AlUla are ‘The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup in AlUla 2023’ (March 4), ‘AlUla Trail Race’ (took place on February 23 and 24), and the ‘Saudi Tour’ (took place from January 30 – February 3).