Taking place over the course of one week from May 7 through to May 14, the Taif Rose Festival will bring together local suppliers and farmers, linking them with both local and international businesses looking to purchase and use the sought-after rose oil that the destination is renowned for. The rose festival also regularly draws crowds of interested locals, and tourists alike.

A haven for lovers of the outdoors, Taif's geographical location and position, 1800 metres above sea level, has created a unique microclimate which allows some of the world's most expensive, exquisite and aromatic roses to flourish.

Taif Rose Festival Attar — *Image via MOC Saudi*

With over 900 farms yielding more than 300 million fragrant roses annually, Taif supplies a large percentage of the global market with highly sought-after blooms, and high quality rose oil. Luxury brands such as Givenchy and Jimmy Choo source attar (rose oil) and rose water from Taif for their beauty and perfume products.

Organised by the Ministry of Culture in Al Rudaf Park, the Taif Rose Festival 2024 aims to appeal to all; the week-long event is set to include live performances, music, perfume-making workshops, a mesmerising light show, diverse shopping stalls, and will also feature an exclusive children's zone.

In keeping with Saudi tradition, the Taif Rose Festival aims for grandeur and impact - and it always delivers, with swathes of baskets filled with rose petals, stalls of flowers and an enveloping, rich scent that is so beautiful it can't be described. Not to mention, this celebration is one of the most picture perfect festivals in Saudi, and ideal for Instagram.

The festival has also previously earned a place in the Guinness World Records for constructing the largest basket of roses, this remarkable feat involved 190 young participants dedicating over 160 hours to assemble an astounding 84,450 assorted roses.

During the festival, many local farms open their doors to visitors, introducing them to the processes behind creating attar, and the effort put into growing such sought-after flowers. One such rose farm includes the Bin Salman Farm, where these 30-petal marvels blossom and are collected. The farm boasts an attar processing facility that visitors can explore firsthand. Beyond a guided tour of the farm and facility, guests have the opportunity to observe the distillation process and then visit the on-site café and store, or visitors can even purchase a bottle of attar to bring home as a memento.

May 7 - 14, Taif Rose Festival,

Al Raddaf Park, Taif

@mocsaudi

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