Hatta Honey Festival Returns As Dubai Municipality Promotes Eco-Tourism And Local Honey Quality 2025

Hatta is set to welcome residents and tourists as Dubai Municipality brings back the Hatta Honey Festival under the #HattaWinter initiative. The event highlights local honey production, supports the area’s eco- and agri-tourism ambitions, and offers free entry for visitors at Hatta Hall until 31st December 2025.

The Festival is designed as a key driver for the wider Hatta development plan, which seeks to diversify the local economy and expand sustainable investment in agriculture and small industries. The programme aims to empower Emirati entrepreneurs, maintain strict product quality and safety, and strengthen Hatta’s role within Dubai’s long-term tourism strategy.

This year’s Hatta Honey Festival features more than 50 indoor booths operated by beekeepers and honey producers, along with 10 outdoor booths allocated to retail concepts and family-run businesses. Visitors can enjoy outdoor workshops, an outdoor majlis, an indoor lounge, live performances, four food and beverage trucks, and dedicated zones for children’s games and activities.

By gathering production, education, testing, and retail experiences in one venue, the Hatta Honey Festival supports sustainable rural development and creates direct economic opportunities for national producers and small enterprises. The festival also underlines Hatta’s growing importance within Dubai’s tourism and economic landscape as an eco- and agri-tourism hub with strong community participation.

Dr. Naseem Mohammed Rafee, CEO of the Environment, Health, and Safety Agency at Dubai Municipality, said, "The Hatta Honey Festival reflects Dubai Municipality’s commitment to supporting sustainable agri-tourism and empowering national producers through dedicated platforms that combine economic opportunity, quality assurance, and community engagement. The Festival offers an integrated visitor experience that brings together learning, heritage, and entertainment, while supporting the local economy and Dubai’s vision for sustainable tourism and agriculture."

Beyond trade and testing, the Hatta Honey Festival delivers a winter destination with a strong social focus, offering families and visitors a programme that blends education, heritage, entertainment, and entrepreneurship. Interactive workshops, learning activities, and live shows across indoor and outdoor spaces aim to enhance quality of life and deepen community involvement in the region.

Hatta Honey Festival laboratory testing and technology

The Dubai Central Laboratory is taking part in the Hatta Honey Festival with a fully integrated platform that displays equipment and technologies for assessing honey quality and safety. Among these are specialised infrared-based devices, used at the Festival for the first time, which can complete key laboratory tests on honey and related products in under one minute.

The laboratory uses a comprehensive honey testing framework that includes up to 512 accredited tests, demonstrating the scope of its role in supporting product quality and food safety. This participation reflects Dubai Municipality’s focus on improving testing capability, speed, and efficiency in line with global best practices, while reinforcing confidence among consumers regarding honey products.

Supporting Dubai Municipality’s digital transformation goals, the Dubai Central Laboratory is also presenting an advanced model for receiving samples that relies on smart technologies. A fully automated robot, operating without human intervention, will receive honey samples from beekeepers, ensuring streamlined procedures, higher precision, and robust adherence to safety and quality standards during festival operations.

Hatta Honey Festival digital identity and future honey standards

During the Hatta Honey Festival, Dubai Municipality will unveil a project that marks a step forward in documenting Emirati honey quality by creating a laboratory fingerprint and digital identity for local honey. This initiative will help verify the type, origin, and quality of honey using advanced scientific analysis and will be delivered in partnership with the Hatta Traders Council through a cooperation agreement, described as the first project of its kind in the UAE.

By combining tourism, agriculture, advanced testing, and digital innovation, the Hatta Honey Festival supports Dubai Municipality’s broader aims for Hatta, from economic diversification and support for Emirati producers to high food safety standards. The Festival’s mix of commercial, educational, and cultural activities is positioned to strengthen Hatta’s profile as a key eco- and agri-tourism destination within Dubai.

With inputs from WAM