By Samar Yahya
DUBAI — The 25th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) launched on Thursday last with grand opening event at Burj Park with five top artists’ acts performing, holds a host of discounts and surprises. Cheb Khaled, Sherine Abdel Wahab and Hussain Al Jassmi were among the performers.
During his tour with the media representatives at Al Seef district, Ahmed Al Khaja CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment at the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “We are always pleased to see people’s engagement with the activations. We are here at Al Seef, the district that shows how Dubai started.
“Especially, in this year’s festival we have diverse activities. Here at Al Seef district in Dubai Creek the focus is on heritage, while other activities highlight the future as Dubai is always the city for creativity. There are different locations for functions at Hatta, Al Rigga, Al Khawaneej, Al Seef and City Walk. The signature Market Outside The Box (MOTB) will also return for its seventh edition at Burj Park, Downtown Dubai.
“In 2019 we had 247 days of activities and in 2020 there are 248 activities’ days. Here we can see different activities and of course we work with private sector. During the festival we’ll highlight the activities that are already there in Dubai, from heritage districts to the present and future. While Al Seef represents the fifties and sixties in Dubai, Al Rigga represents the nineties.”
“In addition, Future Street was launched on Thursday where you will all see the future of Dubai showing the latest technologies and a new spectrum of Dubai. It will show what you expect to see in the coming 10 years,” Al Khaja said during his visit to Al Rigga
British pop star and former One Direction member Liam Payne and singer songwriter Jorja Smith performed last Friday.
Dubai Shopping festival, which began Dec. 26 will run till Feb. 1. Other concerts that celebrated the launch included Pakistani artist Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and a hologram concert of the late Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum at Dubai Opera.
Impressive fireworks show took over the skies of Dubai on the first day of DSF across five different locations at the same time including The Beach, Al Seef, La Mer, Dubai Festival City Mall and Dubai Creek. Incredible 12-hour sale of up to 90 percent off major brands is being offered in Majid Al Futtaim Malls.
For the first time ever, ‘Yalla DSF presented by Club Apparel’; an interactive and innovative game is available in English, Arabic, Mandarin and Russian played on Android and iOS devices. In collaboration with Apparel Group as the exclusive retail partner, Yalla DSF will give players a chance to win exclusive prizes that are instantly redeemable.
Dubai Festival City Mall hosts the LEGO Festival where children and adults interact with 11 zones each celebrating a different Lego brand. Home Centre, customers who spend AED500 at the Mall of Emirates store, will be in for a chance to win an entire home makeover. Twenty-five winners will be selected between Jan. 5 and Jan. 29.
With the online food application Zomato, DSF will present over 1,000 restaurants that will provide 25 percent off in-dining experiences for those who have a Zomato Gold membership, which will also be at 25 percent off the membership fee.
DSF is well known for incredible prizes but the 25th edition is full of even more chances to win. From cars to cash to Skywards Miles and reward points, the Nissan Grand Raffle will give away one of five car models every day.
Gargash Motors and General Trading will also be offering the New GAC GS7 as a prize for DSF shoppers. At Meraas locations, when spending AED100, customers will receive a raffle ticket to be one of the daily 25 winners who receive an AED1,000 gift card to spend at Boxpark, The Outlet Village, City Walk, La Mer, Al Seef, Bluewaters or The Beach.
At the DSF Gold Raffle, those who purchase an online raffle coupon for AED750 will enter a draw for a chance to win 2.5 kilograms in gold which comes in a DSF-branded gold bar at the end of the festival.
Music fans can rejoice as a series of concerts take place throughout DSF. Egyptian singers Yara and Mohammad Hamaki will take the stage at The Pointe on Jan. 17 Globally renowned artist Amr Diab will perform on Jan. 24 at Dubai Media City.
Joining the exciting line-up are Mohamed Ramadan and Saad Lamjarred, who will be performing live at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Jan. 10. With more than 1,000 brands participating across close to 4,000 outlets, shoppers and deal-hunters will find offers of up to 75 percent off across the city.
Starting from Thursday until Jan. 26, there will be an exclusive deal at an exclusive retailer in a specific mall which will only be announced 24 hours in advance DSF Surprises. Shopaholics are encouraged to keep DSF on their radar to discover daily surprise deals over 25 days. Deals are announced 24 hours in advance for one brand at one location.
