El Haouaria Sparrowhawk Festival
El Haouaria
Founded in 1967, the El Haouaria Sparrowhawk Festival celebrates falconry, the art of training sparrowhawks and peregrine falcons, at the tip of Cap Bon. Its latest announced edition, the 57th, was scheduled for 25 to 28 June 2026, with bird-of-prey contests, a crafts fair and a biodiversity symposium. Dates for 2027 have not yet been announced.
Dates
Last edition: 25 June 2026 – 28 June 2026. The dates of the next edition have not been announced yet.
Source: webmanagercenter.com (08/06/2026) — accessed 20 October 2026
The Sparrowhawk Festival is the falconry festival of El Haouaria, a small town at the north-eastern tip of Cap Bon, facing the Strait of Sicily. For four days, the region's falconers show their birds and compete with their sparrowhawks and peregrine falcons. The latest announced edition, the 57th, was scheduled from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 June 2026; the 2025 edition was held from 27 to 29 June. Dates for 2027 have not yet been published.
A falconers' tradition
The festival began in 1967 as the "Hunters' Festival". It is organised by the Regional Falconers' Association of Nabeul governorate, headed by Amine Belkahla, with support from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Its aim is to preserve the training of birds of prey and pass it on from one generation to the next; steps are under way to have this Cap Bon tradition inscribed on UNESCO's heritage lists.
El Haouaria lies between sea and mountain, on the last observation corridor for migrating birds before the crossing of the Mediterranean. Offshore, the islands of Zembra and Zembretta form a national park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1977.
The 2026 programme
- Thursday 25 June: opening, the "Carnival of Joy" parade, a crafts fair by rural women, children's workshops and the start of the sparrowhawk ("saf") and peregrine falcon ("borni") contests.
- Friday 26 June: an exhibition on the memory of falconry, a workshop on the bond between the falconer, the "biaz", and his bird, heats, street and equestrian shows.
- Saturday 27 June: a biodiversity symposium, an art exhibition, a film evening on bird training, a visit to the ancient olive tree of Echraf, said to be more than 2,500 years old, and a traditional lunch.
- Sunday 28 June: a clay-pigeon shooting contest, the bird-of-prey finals and the prize-giving.
The opening was planned at the cultural centre and on Avenue Habib Bourguiba, and the fair on Avenue Ibn Sina. No evening shows were scheduled, as the town has no suitable venue.
Getting to El Haouaria
By road. El Haouaria is 109 km from Tunis-Carthage Airport, about 2 hours' drive. Our Hammamet, Nabeul and Cap Bon page covers the region.
What to see. North-west of the town, the ancient quarries of El Haouaria are man-made caves shaped like carafes, from which stone was shipped across the gulf to Carthage, 60 km away, from the 7th century BC. They are open daily, 9 am to 6 pm in summer (local time); admission TND 8, about €2.40.
Where to stay. The hotels Sabaro has chosen on Cap Bon are in Hammamet: La Badira, for guests aged 16 and over, and the Hasdrubal Thalassa & Spa Yasmine Hammamet.
The season. In late June, average highs on Cap Bon are around 29°C and the sea is above 22°C.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Sparrowhawk Festival in 2027?
The dates have not been announced yet. The last two editions were held in late June: 27 to 29 June in 2025, 25 to 28 June in 2026.
What is falconry training?
It is the art of training a bird of prey. In El Haouaria, falconers train the sparrowhawk, the "saf", and the peregrine falcon, the "borni".
Where should you stay for the festival?
In Hammamet, on the same Cap Bon peninsula. Sabaro has chosen La Badira and the Hasdrubal Thalassa & Spa Yasmine Hammamet there.