Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) has signed a multi-year strategic agreement with talabat UAE, the region’s leading delivery platform, for various citywide festivals, shopping experiences, and lifestyle events as part of Dubai’s annual Retail Calendar.

The three-year partnership commenced with interactive experiences and engaging activations at this year’s edition of Beach Canteen, the anchor event of the Dubai Food Festival that concluded on 12 May; in addition to GameExpo, which took place as part of the Dubai Esports and Games Festival that concluded on 5 May. Joint initiatives will continue to bring experiential events for Dubai residents and visitors throughout a number of highly anticipated festivals and events – including Dubai Summer Surprises, Ramadan in Dubai, Eid in Dubai, Back to School, Dubai Fitness Challenge, Dubai Shopping Festival, and more.

The partnership agreement was signed by Hadi Badri, CEO of Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC) on behalf of the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), and Simonida Subotic, Vice President and Managing Director, talabat UAE; in the presence of H.E.Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and Tomaso Rodriguez, CEO, talabat.

Commenting on the partnership, Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) said: “We are delighted to extend our ongoing partnership with talabat into a long-term endeavour. This partnership will enable us to curate even more memorable experiences for both Dubai residents and visitors throughout the year. Our annual Retail Calendar is a core component of the city’s thriving retail community and plays a critical role in fostering sustainable economic growth and tourism development. It is our goal to continue our collaborative efforts with leading industry players like talabat to amplify guest experiences, whilst also supporting the achievement of our D33 objective of doubling the size of Dubai’s economy over the next decade and consolidating the Emirate’s position as the world’s best city to live and work in.”

Simonida Subotic, Vice President and Managing Director, talabat UAE, added: “talabat is proud to partner with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment to bring local communities together in landmark places around our hometown to do what we do best – enjoy our time together around food. This strategic partnership underscores our commitment to creating valuable experiences for Dubai residents and tourists alike for the next three years.

With 18 highly anticipated festivals and events, we kicked-off this collaboration with the Dubai Food Festival and Dubai Esports and Games Festival this year; extending our expertise across both festivals to spotlight some of Dubai’s most popular homegrown restaurants available on the app, and allowing people to discover new flavours and cuisines.”

The strategic partnership follows a successful collaboration between DET and talabat UAE for the Dubai Can initiative, which was launched in 2022 with the aim of reducing utilisation of single-use plastic water bottles and inspiring residents and visitors to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle; as well as the Dubai Fitness Challenge 2023, which marked its biggest edition last year with over 2.4 million participants.

For more information on festivities and celebrations in Dubai, please visit Visit Dubai.