Food trucks and camels mingle in national fair
20,000 visitors expected daily at month-long festival
JEDDAH: The Al-Dahnaa Desert buzzes with life and commercial activity as it hosts the King Abdul Aziz Camel Festival, which is expected to attract around 20,000 visitors every day — especially during the holidays — between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1, 2018.
The festival includes a market for productive families, with 100 points of sale for displaying handcrafted products, the most noticeable of which are camel heritage tools and leathers.
There is another market, which includes 100 points of sale for camels, cattle, fodder, antiques, vintage toys, handicrafts, tents, food supplies, laundries, firewood and camping supplies.
Several catering companies and coffee shops will participate in the festival to provide everything campers, participants, guests and tourists may need.
The director of the project, Mohammed Al-Hasoun, said the street allocated for the market was paved this year and developed to better serve shop owners and shoppers.
“The shops’ tents were altered to look the same and have similar colors, sizes, and specifications,” he added.
The official spokesman for the festival, Sultan Al-Bokomi, said a special area was allocated for 25 food trucks to ensure a diverse food menu at a nominal subscription of SR3,000 ($800) throughout the festival, and the festival’s management will provide these trucks with electricity and any service they might need.
Al-Bokomi pointed out that there are rules and regulations governing the trucks’ work at the festival, including having a municipal license for carrying out such activity, and in case there were employees, they should be sponsored by the truck owner and must provide a health certificate.
He also confirmed that the festival’s management would control prices and ensure a safe, healthy and clean environment throughout the event’s activities.
The King Abdul Aziz Camel Festival is open for visitors between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m.