The date palm festival provides exciting entertainment for the whole family with the Date Tree Planting feature being one of the most attractive activities offered this year, as visitors flock to participate in the first of its kind feature.

During the opening ceremony of the festival His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research himself participated in this activity by planting a date tree.

Individuals and families have the unique opportunity to plant their own date palm tree at the festival and have their names on it. The trees along with the names will then be moved to a special location in Abu Dhabi - in dedication to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the UAE � for future generations to see.

Suaad Al Glanei, Teacher, Al Noor School � Baniyas, said: �The girls are having a fantastic time enriching their learning here, especially with the planting of the date palm trees. It gives them a sense of pride to be a part of the festival and contribute in dedicating the date palm trees to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.�

Mohamed Jalal Al Reyaysa, Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee for the Emirates International Date Palm Festival and the Official Spokesperson for Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, said: �During the first three days of the festival, 250 date palm trees have been planted, and we expect this number to reach 500 as the show continues until Saturday. We are pleased to be able to provide visitors with the opportunity to contribute to its scenery and dedicate them to our country�s leader.� 

In addition to the Date Tree Planting feature, other enjoyable features at the festival for visitors include: a Cooking Area, Al Ain Dairy Kid Zone, Date Tree Climbing competition, Date Palm Photo Competition, and Date Tasting.

The six-day family event is taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Abu Dhabi, UAE and ends on the 26 of November 2011.

The festival is very committed to building communities through social media. It�s Facebook/datepalmfestival and Twitter/datepalmfest networks engage fans by offering year round news and promotions.