Compulsive shoppers need no excuse to hop over to Dubai, come holidays or long weekends, but if shopping is presented as a festival, a celebration of that innate human desire to indulge in buying, even the fastidious ones are bound to rush over to this shopper-friendly destination for the Dubai Shopping Festival.
Not that I am a fastidious one…far from it. I am like a kid in a candy store when I enter a mall, even for a business meeting. The prospect of shopping, pegged on to a meeting at a coffee shop in a mall, is a big high. And with the 24th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival going all the way and more to open the gateway to the world of shopping, could I resist the urge to travel to this paradise? Nah…
Dubai is not new to me and I have a long, ongoing tryst with this happening destination in the region. But visiting it purely for shopping…?
Well, that was a novelty. Despite shopping being a part of my every junket or travel itinerary, visiting a place purely for shopping was an experience that I am pining to repeat soon. Dubai Shopping Festival is more than a celebration; it is a shopping holiday that has all the right elements to woo shoppers, not only from the region but all over the globe.
This year’s festival, from December 26 February 2, features over 700 brands participating at 3,200 outlets across the city with deal-hunters able to enjoy 75 per cent off a wide range of products during the month-long sales. Extended for an additional week to give visitors even more reasons to shop, win and play, many of the popular events and promotions featured in previous years, such as 12 Hour Sale and Market Outside the Box (MOTB) have returned even bigger and better.
Some of the highlights of this season’s Festival are:
12 Hour Sale:
DSF’s mammoth 12-hour sale – starting at midday and running right through to midnight – give customers up to 90 per cent off at Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira, City Centre Me‘aisem, City Centre Barsha and City Centre Al Shindagha.
DSF Weekend Surprises:
DSF Weekend Surprises, which began on December 27, has been giving bargain-hunters the chance to enjoy incredible offers on an exclusive product range at a specified shopping location each weekend. The sale starts at 10 am each Thursday, Friday and Saturday until stocks last. Savvy shoppers are urged to hit the malls early to take advantage of super savings and never-seen-before offers across a wide range of items from fashion to beauty.
Shop the Night Away:
DFRE (Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment) has partnered with exclusive malls to offer ‘Shop the Night Away’ evenings each week throughout Dubai Shopping Festival. Starting from 6 pm each Wednesday, deal-hunters can enjoy promotion bundles at their favourite shops in the mall, as well promotions on food courts and restaurants. The ‘Shop the Night Away’ experiences will also feature exclusive workshops, styling sessions and VIP gift bags. Starting on 9 January, the first ‘Shop the Night Away’ event will take place at malls around the city, full schedule to be released next week.
Promotions:
Shoppers have the chance to win an Infiniti QX50 and AED 150,000 daily in mega raffles. A daily Nissan grand raffle will also offer shoppers the chance to win one of seven Nissan models. Additionally, five lucky Infiniti raffle ticket holders will get a weekly chance to win AED 20,000 each over a period of five weeks during the DSF. One raffle ticket holder will also get a chance to win a mega cash prize of AED 500,000 as the DSF concludes.
Dubai Pass:
The introduction of Dubai Pass will help you get pre-paid access to the best attractions, tours and sightseeing experiences, and save up to 60 per cent. There are two packages to choose from: Dubai Select, where you can save up to 50 per cent on your choice of three must-see attractions and experiences; and Dubai Unlimited, where you can choose from 33 of Dubai’s top attractions and experiences and save up to 60 per cent. Attractions include the Dubai Theme Parks like Bollywood Park, Motiongate, IMG World of Adventure etc. Also included are attractions like the Dubai Frame and At The Top, Burj Khalifa.
Bollywood Park Dubai Frame Smurf Village Riverland
Experiences:
Fireworks: The city’s night sky light up with mesmerising firework displays throughout Dubai Shopping Festival with fireworks taking place each Thursday and Friday at Al Seef, La Mer and The Beach.
Market Outside The Box (MOTB): The popular MOTB pop-up market will return to Burj Park from 24 January to 2 February, offering visitors the chance to shop unique homegrown brands and local designers. Families can enjoy roaming entertainment; kids’ play areas as well a variety of tasty dishes from street-style food vendors.
In addition to the series of incredible sales and promotions, Dubai Shopping Festival will also offer an extensive line-up of exciting events and activities for residents and visitors to choose from, including concerts by music icons and free-to-attend family-oriented activities in malls and activations by leading brands.
For more information, please visit www.mydsf.ae or @DSFSocial and #MyDSF for the latest news, information and events.