Camel Racing Festival in Kuwait

by The Finest Soldier | Feb 15, 2019 | Kuwait, Middle East, Photography Tips, Travel, Travel Tips

Prelude

Camel Racing Festival in Kuwait is a living example of the extraordinary hospitality of Kuwait and Muslim Culture. Every year during winter (November to April) Kuwait Camel Racing Club arranges Camel Racing every Saturday and it is completely free to be there with light refreshment. The major attraction of this camel racing season is Camel Racing Festival, where camels from all GCC countries and some African and European countries participate. Camel Racing Festival of 2019 has been held from 09 February to 14 February at Kuwait Camel Racing Club, Al Ahmadi, Kuwait.

Getting There

Getting there is not a big issue. At least from the point of navigation, you can easily get there with the help of Google Maps. Here is the location pin. However, there is no public transport to go to the racetrack. So, if you have your own car, you can go there navigating google maps. However, there can be a situation where you are traveling in Kuwait and do not have your own car. In that case, rent a car from any rental agency.

Racing events usually start at 1 PM. However, if there is any special event, please confirm the time and details of the event from Mr. Ayed (ayedalajmi@hotmail.com) in advance to understand what’s scheduled.

Our Experiences

Our experience with the racing event was unique. We have been planning to get there for quite long but somehow it was not happening. At last, we went to the racing club on 09 February 2019 to watch Camel Racing. We all were very excited as it was our first experience to witness camel racing.

While planning to go there, we suffered from the difficulties of unavailability of information about the racing event. Like many other sports, cultural events information about this racing is a little scarce. I also wondered that many Kuwaiti are also not informed or maybe not acquainted with the event. However, that scarcity of information has also a good side. Considering the vastness of the event it is less crowded. It will allow you to enjoy the race.

We started from Farwaniyah at around 12:30 PM and we reached the site by 1:30 PM. After reaching there we initially went to a spot where visitors were having free camel ride. We insisted Arwaa have a ride but she was not interested. However, Tahsin really enjoyed the camel ride. Since her first camel ride in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India in 2015 she is having camel ride quite frequently.

At around 2 PM food was served and we were astonished seeing the arrangement of the feast. We literarily were not ready for this. As we already said, information about the event is not much available, so we also did not know much about the day’s events. Our plan was to go to the track, witness some races, quickly return, and have late lunch. However, we grabbed our seats and had lunch. The food was really good.

At around, 3:30 PM race started. We all witnessed a few races together and then Arwaa got busy playing with many other kids at the place.

This camel racing event was our first experience of witnessing a camel race and we all loved it. After witnessing total of 4 races we started our return journey before the nightfall. However, on 14 February 2019, we went again to witness the grand final. And I must say, we were lucky to be there at right time on the right day.

During the racing event, we noticed that technology is really easing up our life. The sign of technology was everywhere. In the marshaling point, officials were checking camels’ registration by an electronic device. There is no human jockey even. Literarily, robots with a whip have replaced the human. The camel trainer drives alongside the racetrack and controls encourages the camels by walkie talkie. He also controls the speed of the whipping to run the camel faster by remote. If you are going to this event you should try this off-road race as well.

We never knew about something like Camel Wedding. Fortunately, we saw many wedding events for the camels at the club during the festival.

We have met Mr. Ghazy from Jordan. He is a renowned photographer and also works for Kuwait News Agency. Check Ghazy’s Instagram profile for amazing photos. during the race. He is a very senior photographer and I found him to be a very caring and generous man.

Special Travel/ Photography Tips

• Confirm the racing schedule including starting time and number of races.
• Try to photograph from all the spots.
  • Place where all the camels gather before the race
  • Marshalling point.
  • Race start point.
  • Race finishing point.
  • Camel wedding spot.
  • If someone is driving for you, get some photos of the off-road race of the vehicles.
  • There is some watchtower sort of establishments. You may climb to the top of these towers to have a top view.
• During the festival of big events, the club provides free food to all. However, during regular races, carry drinking water and snacks with you if you decide to stay for long. There are no restaurants in close vicinity.
• Carry a scarf to cover your face and nose as a precaution.
• Since, the event takes place during winter, check the weather forecast before going there and take precautions.
• Safety is a big issue here. If you are trying to photograph the event, please remember your wellbeing and good health are way too precious. Do not run into the tracks for photographing while the race is on.

In the end, I must say, if you are living or traveling to Kuwait do not miss this unique event of Camel Racing Festival. Even if you cannot match your time with the festival, you can easily go to the camel racing club to enjoy the racing event every Saturday afternoon.

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