Strong Crowds Turn Out For ADIHEX 2026 Day Four
Heritage And Saluki Shows Draw Crowds
The fourth day of the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX), held on 31 August 2026 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Falconers' Club, attracted strong visitor turnout from the early hours of the day at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. The 23rd edition of ADIHEX, staged under the theme "A Legacy of Pride" and running as the largest in its history, welcomed visitors from 10am to 10pm, with family attendance increasing significantly during the evening session.
The exhibition's fourth-day programme continued to bring together heritage, culture, entertainment and education alongside equestrian, falconry and Arabian Saluki displays and a range of interactive activities, in keeping with the format the 23rd edition has followed since it opened at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. Morning programming opened with an Arabian horse showcase, followed by police dog obedience demonstrations, pony riding experiences and trained dog displays that drew visitors across the age range. Afternoon activities continued with falconry-inspired demonstrations alongside performances from African drum, dance and acrobatic groups and Japanese Taiko drum performers, a traditional Japanese drumming discipline, adding further cultural variety to the day's schedule.
The sequence of morning, afternoon and evening programming has become a defining feature of ADIHEX's daily schedule across its ten-day run, with the fourth day following the same three-part structure that has shaped the exhibition since it opened under the "A Legacy of Pride" theme. The combination of equestrian showcases, working-dog displays and international cultural performances within a single day's programme reflected the breadth ADIHEX has built into its 23rd edition at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.
The morning's police dog obedience demonstrations and trained dog displays sat alongside the day's equestrian showcases as part of a working-animal strand that ran through the fourth day's schedule, while the afternoon's African drum, dance and acrobatic performances and Japanese Taiko drumming broadened the cultural range of the programme beyond its equestrian and falconry core.
Equestrian Shows Draw Heavy Interest
Equestrian and Emirati heritage performances drew significant visitor interest through the day, with a traditional Emirati horse and flag display featuring alongside Arabian horse showcases and a range of further equestrian performances. Arabian Saluki demonstrations also attracted considerable attention, highlighting the breed's place in Emirati heritage and its historic association with the daily lives and traditions of earlier generations of the country's population, a theme that ran through much of the fourth day's wider programme.
The evening programme combined horse-riding performances with falconry demonstrations and traditional maritime-themed displays, alongside a heritage-inspired Tshouleeb performance, before further equestrian and falconry displays closed out the day at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. As part of the exhibition's educational and awareness activities, the Learning Majlis hosted a youth workshop alongside interactive visitor sessions, while Abu Dhabi Police, through its Community Police Department, delivered a series of awareness initiatives including a workshop on the dangers of drug abuse.
Specialised Sessions Round Out Day
A specialised session on pre-purchase horse examinations explored the importance of veterinary assessments before purchasing horses, running alongside a separate session dedicated to free diving as part of the day's wider educational offering at ADIHEX. The strong fourth-day attendance reflected the breadth of the exhibition's audience, with morning activities drawing enthusiasts, specialists and professionals from the hunting, equestrian sports, heritage and outdoor adventure sectors of the region.
The evening session welcomed increasing numbers of families and children following the first day of the new academic year, who took in ADIHEX's live performances, interactive activities and heritage experiences at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. The shift toward heavier family attendance in the evening, noted alongside the day's professional and specialist morning turnout, gave the fourth day a two-part audience profile that organisers highlighted as characteristic of ADIHEX's daily rhythm across the 23rd edition.
The pre-purchase examination session and the free diving session ran as part of the same educational strand as the Learning Majlis workshop and the Community Police Department's awareness sessions, giving the fourth day a programme that extended well beyond its live performances into specialist and educational territory aimed at a narrower, more focused audience than the equestrian and cultural showcases drawing the day's larger crowds.
ADIHEX 2026 continues its ten-day run with a programme combining the preservation of Emirati heritage with cultural, educational and interactive experiences aimed at engaging all segments of society and passing on heritage values to future generations across the exhibition's full ten-day schedule at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan throughout.