Dubai Shopping Festival

Tips for Dubai Shopping Festival

Start your day early morning when the day is cooler and the malls and shops have fewer people jostling for shopping. This is a great way to avoid busy crowds in famous outlets or those shops which have big discounts going on. The shops in Dubai open around 10 am, getting there shortly after opening time gives you ample time to purchase whatever you like at great prices and also have the ownerâs undivided attention.

With countless shops selling innumerable goods that leave you with immense choices; it can seem pretty hard to decide where to go and what to buy. It is best to get some shopping knowledge before hand and know which shops are popular to purchase certain merchandises so that you can get a guarantee on the quality as well as be assured that you are getting it on value for money rates. For instance, if itâs gold you want to buy, the best place for purchasing is at the Gold Souk in Dubai, which gives you endless varieties to choose from. Preparing a plan and budget before the shopping festival will also help you have a clear idea of what you want to shop and allow in controlling your spending.
Shopping during a major event when retail outlets draw attention of tourists with attractive sales is a great way to lessen some burden on your wallet. The Dubai Shopping Festival is a perfect event to fulfil your shopping checklist and grab those expensive branded products that you may otherwise think twice before splurging.
Tag along with a friend who lives in Dubai or get a local guide who is well versed with the best shops in Dubai which are known for their merchandises and gives amazing discounts and great bargain deals.
Exploit the food, recreation and service scene during the Dubai Shopping Festival when the whole of Dubai is in festive mood and many restaurants, cafes, recreation and attraction activities take advantage of the tourist peak season and slash prices to attract visitors. The food scene is something you should not miss if you are a core foodie as during the shopping festival, restaurants and cafes all over Dubai provides a wide range of mouth watering international and traditional Arabic treats. The entertainment and recreational scene too transforms two folds with famous celebrities and famous artists from the cinema and music world showcasing their talents. More over many hotels, airlines and tour firms offer great deals on Dubai packages especially during Dubai Shopping Festival.

Interesting fact about Dubai Shopping Festival

Dubai Shopping Festival was initiated in 1996 as a trade event to build up and expand Dubaiâs retail trade by introducing great sale promotions to its visitors. Gradually this simple idea transformed on a month long epic sale event and came to be known as the largest and renowned shopping and recreational activity in the world.
Dubai Shopping Festival is held for a month annually and allures over three million tourists from around the globe in a single year.

Dubai Shopping Festival means it is discount season everywhere in Dubai with malls, shops and retail outlets slashing prices up to 50 to 75%.
Dubai Shopping Festival is not just about shopping. It goes beyond shopping and showcases itself as a complete family entertainer and holds grand events having some of the best of Middle Eastern and International celebrities and talent from the field of music, arts and entertainment along with a plethora of fun activities and delectable world class cuisines to enjoy.
Get lucky at Dubai Shopping Festival. You can take part in raffles and get a chance to win great prizes ranging from gold to luxury cars.

DSF Journey

1996: The year Dubai Shopping Festival was incepted. UAEâs Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum conceptualized a vision of Dubai being more than an oil trading emirate and evolving as a hot spot tourist destination as well as get a boost in its retail growth. The idea turned into a reality in 1996 with the launch of first ever Dubai Shopping Festival - a grand month long shopping and recreational festival. The first event attracted 1.6 million visitors from around the world.

1997: After its successful launch year, the second year of Dubai Shopping Festival captured the global interest. The second edition saw an increase of retail participants â around 3000 shops and malls registered for the festival and showered visitors with irresistible deals and unbeatable discounts. Global Village was launched this year showcasing a myriad of merchandises, artefacts, cuisine and recreations of different countries spread over a series of pavilions.

1998: This year, focussing more on getting families to visit and enjoy this mega event, Dubai Shopping Festival pursued entertainment and activities to make it family oriented and kid friendly and came up with the slogan âChildren of the World Meet Dubaiâ.

1999: Dubai Shopping Festival celebrates on a grandeur stage. After the success of previous yearâs vision as a complete family event, the fourth edition of the festival celebrated its triumph with the slogan âThe Biggest Family Gathering of the Millenniumâ where in the city planned family oriented entertainment and leisure activities with innovative eye catching attractions for children.

2000: Dubai Shopping Festival got the deserving impact it was looking for and got global visitors as well as major brand companies to notice and participate. This year, the emphasis was more to gain commercial recognition globally to enhance its tourism growth and came up with the slogan âOne World, One Family, One Festivalâ.

2001: The sixth edition celebrated the festival giving special appreciation to mothers all over the world. Dubai Shopping Festival 2010 felicitated mothers with special promotions and a chance for one lucky mother to win US$ 100000. The giveaways also saw an increase with prizes worth 41kilos gold and 32 Rolls Royce cars. The 2001 year event attracted 2.55 million visitors.

2002: Dubai Shopping Festival gets better and grandeur with every year. 2002 saw a tremendous increase in shoppers as well participating retail outlets. Big prizes were up for grabs this year with total prizes of 31 Nissan Patrols, 2 Lexus Cars, 41 kilos of gold and AED 200000 in cash every day given away.

2003: Dubai had the busiest shopping festival compared to previous years. The Night Souks welcomed visitors to enjoy extended shopping hours by keeping shops open way past opening hours . This year saw the first ever Dubai Fashion event held during the festival and witness some great performances by renowned artists like Whitney Houston and A R Rahman.

2004: Previously held Dubai Fashion event in 2003 catapulted Dubai as an upcoming fashion destination. The year of 2003 marked the celebration as the year of style and fashion with top fashion giants like Dior, Givenchy showing keen interest in this mega shopping event.

2005: Dubai Shopping Festival turns a decade old and celebrates its 10th year. The milestone celebration attracted 3.3 million visitors. The grand event gave away big prizes in raffles - 100 kilos of gold to one lucky winner, 2 luxury cars and AED 100000 everyday, four villas, and daily prize of 1 kg gold.

2006-2007: A combined mega celebration added double fun to Dubai Shopping Festival. The longest edition of Dubai Shopping Festival ever, the festival went for 45 days and held performance of world renowned Cirque De Soleil. The festival also gave away mega raffles with outlandish prizes such as 96 Lexus Cars, 45 Nissan cars, 45 kilos of gold and cash prizes.

2008: Dubai Shopping Festival showcases its cultural and local charms. This year the festival significantly involved local artists and talents and came up with launch of Dubai Records.

2009: A grand addition to the shopping experience. Two new shopping precincts -The Walk at JBR and Dubai Mall were introduced and oriented.

2010: Celebrating its 15th successful year, Dubai Shopping Festival opened up to round-the-clock entertainment and was host to Dubai International Jazz Festival, Street festivals and Gulf Bike Festival.

2011: This year saw new generation stars and performers like Amy Winehouse and Pharrel Williams and witnessed big spending of around AED 15 billion on shopping entertainment, mega raffles and prizes.

2012: Entering its 17th year, Dubai Shopping Festival received a record influx of visitors at 4.36 million visitors. It also held the emirateâs longest synchronised musical firework display along the stretch of Dubai Creek. Visitors were in for a treat at the Carpet Oasis where the largest and most expensive silk carpet in the world was exhibited.

2013: The year of fashion for Dubai, the shopping festival emphasised on style and fashion. It showcased Express Fashion aboard Dubai Metroâ first ever fashion show held on a moving train. Other fashion shows and events which got rave reviews were the Street fashion shows along Dubai Mall promenade and Midnight Fashion shows.

2014: Standing by the yearâs motto - âShop at your bestâ, Dubai floored its visitors with mind blowing prizes and up to 75% discounts over 6000 retail outlets across 70 malls. This year also mesmerised its visitors with a unique DSF Vertical Catwalk - first of its kind show that scaled up the facade of Burj Khalifa. The Cityâs five prime malls - The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, Mirdif City Centre and Dubai Festival City Mall extended beyond their normal schedule to provide longer hours for shoppers.

2015: Completing two decades, Dubai tag lined the 20th year of Dubai Shopping Festival as âA Journey of Celebrationsâ. It held 150 mega events citywide and got itself entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the Dubai Celebration Chain â worldâs longest handmade gold chain.

2016: Dubaiâs obsession with innovation and finesse was showcased in a unique âFashion on Iceâ show in alliance with Galeries Lafayette at Dubai Ice Rink. Keeping up its repute as the best place for a complete shopping experience, a series of events were organised focusing to boost the fashion sector. Perfumes and aromas were another highlight of this yearâs festival and two new records were added to Dubaiâs long list of world records - the biggest perfume spraying event and biggest Perfume sampling events on Dubai Fragrance Day. Till date, the grandiose of this extravagant shopping festival gets larger than life every year and 2017-18 Dubai Shopping Festival hints to provide an experience beyond expectation.