100,000 Camels Compete in Record-Breaking Crown Prince Festival

The record-breaking Crown Prince Camel Festival has returned to Taif. Having earned the Guinness World Record for the largest camel racing event last year in 2024, this year’s edition sees unprecedented participation, with more than 100,000 camels set to compete – surpassing the total from all six previous editions combined.

Seasoned competitor and multiple-time winner Fahad Ben Jouroh has invested heavily in a herd of more than 50 camels, aged between two and six years. This year, the Laqaya group alone (for 3- and 4-year-olds) features 64 four-kilometre races with a prize pool exceeding SAR 50 million.

The festival opened with 1,495 camels competing in the Haqayiq category (for 2- and 3-year-olds) and will continue until September 12th.

The event is one of the highlights on the Kingdom’s cultural calendar, recognised with the Makkah Economic Excellence Award for its role in celebrating Saudi heritage while driving cultural and economic engagement.