It’s that time of year again, when the city discovers the extraordinary as part of a celebration of fun, festivities, retail promotions, family entertainment, live concerts and much, much more – the return of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF)!

The annual celebration of the city’s world-class retail and tourism offerings has been refreshed by organisers Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) to be the best DSF yet, with regular announcements keeping excitement levels high as organisers reveal great new attractions and entertainment options to be added to the already packed calendar of events.

Taking place from 17 December 2020 to 30 January 2021, the 26^th edition of DSF will amaze, dazzle and thrill residents and visitors as Dubai welcomes the world to Dubai to explore DSF’s unrivalled shopping opportunities, life-changing raffles and promotions plus sensational entertainment taking place right across the city.

Throughout DSF, and in line with local regulations, participating events, malls and shopping destinations will strictly adhere to the required Covid-19 precautionary measures. As a mark of recognition for industry-wide compliance, Dubai recently rolled out the ‘DUBAI ASSURED’ stamp in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Department of Economic Development and Dubai Municipality to certify retail establishments, F&B outlets, hotels and attractions that have implemented the necessary public health protocols in order to maintain the health and safety of residents and visitors.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said: “We are delighted to once again welcome back the Dubai Shopping Festival. The 26^th showcase of the world’s biggest and longest running retail festival will be the perfect celebration of everything Dubai is famous for – unparalleled family fun, shopping and with a COVID safety approach. As the flagship event of DFRE’s packed Retail Calendar of festivities and activations, DSF has strategically grown over the years to offer incredible customer-centric promotions and activations that drive footfall, boost sales and position the city on the global map as a must-visit retail destination for visitors from around the world. This is our most highly anticipated edition that will bring 2020 to a close and welcome in the start of 2021 in a positive and fun-packed fashion.”

Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) outlines the key activities, deals, sales, concerts, events and activations taking place across the city during this year’s DSF:

OPENING CONCERTS

This year’s DSF will start with an amazing two-day celebration held at Market Outside The Box (MOTB) at Burj Park in Downtown Dubai on 17 & 18 December. The fun will take place from 8pm to 12am each day with two A-list Arabic stars on day one and an International star on day two and tickets will start from AED50.

RETAIL EVENTS

The popular DSF Markets will return with a super collection of pop-up events taking place at Last Exit Al Khawaneej and Al Seef as well as events at Burj Park, Nakheel Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Festival City Mall and community markets around the city, with further announcements to be made in the coming days.

Combining the heritage of Dubai with innovative shopping and family experiences, the markets are a great way to discover unique items and explore the city’s exciting food scene as they will host a wide selection of F&B venues and entertainment options as well as weekly fireworks displays.

Taking place at Burj Park in Downtown Dubai and a highlight of DSF, the Market Outside The Box (MOTB) will offer an alternative shopping experience for those looking for gifts or items out of the ordinary as well a huge selection of innovative and exciting F&B concepts. MOTB will be held from 17 December 2020 to 2 January 2021. This year, riding on a directive for a more GEN Z outlook, the theme of the event is inspired by Asian Pop Culture, specifically Korean and Japanese. This year’s NEWTRO is a combination of two words ‘New’ and ‘Retro’, a popular and emerging trend. The trend blends elements of vintages 90s with contemporary culture, with emphasis on music, colour and fashion.

Nakheel Mall on the Palm Jumeirah’s new rooftop venue will host a winter themed Food and Retail Market with a range of pop up vendors and unique products available for shoppers. The venue will also stage its own Santa’s Village and Grotto as well as an ice rink. Visitors to Nakheel Mall can enjoy a series of retail offers, promotions and special Winter Deals from 10 December to 3 January.

Shoppers will discover a magical festive experience at Dubai Festival City Mall’s market at Festival Bay. Highlights include a festive interactive maze, an enchanted polar bear valley, a candy factory and a socially distant Santa’s grotto. The event will be held from 6 to 29 December from 4pm onwards each day.

The West End Area of Mall of the Emirates will be transformed into a  Winter Wonderland until 24 December. Packed with festive cheer, the Christmas market will celebrate the season in collaboration with Ripe Market and Ski Dubai. Guests can meet and take photos with a Virtual Santa (augmented reality) while following all of the health and safety measures. After scanning a code on their smartphone, guests will be redirected to Instagram where they can choose between three Santa variations for their photo.

RAFFLES

DSF welcomes the return of the INFINITI Mega Raffle. Raffle tickets priced at AED200 can be purchased at selected ENOC and EPCO petrol stations, Zoom stores and Dubai Metro stations, while shoppers who spend AED200 at The Gold Souk and Global Village plus participating shopping malls will enter a raffle to land an INFINITI QX60 car and AED200,000 each day. A total of 45 INFINITI QX60 vehicles will be given away during DSF with daily draws taking place at Global Village. One person will also win AED500,000 on the final day of DSF.

DSF’s super Nissan Grand Raffle will give away 45 brand-new Nissan vehicles this DSF. Five of the carmaker’s most popular models are available along with cash prizes of AED10,000 per week. Shoppers need to spend just AED25 on non-fuel items at any EPCO or ENOC petrol station in Dubai to win during DSF. The Nissan Grand Raffle will give away two Nissan Patrols, one Nissan Pathfinder, eight Nissan X-TRAIL crossover SUVs, 10 Nissan Kicks vehicles, 12 Nissan Micra compacts and 12 Nissan Sentra sedans. Winners will be announced at daily raffle draws throughout this year’s festival.

Shoppers at Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) malls can enter a raffle to win cash prizes of up to AED100,000 each week just by spending AED200. The Spend & Win raffle will be held from 17 December to 30 January.

Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group (DGJG) will host a grand raffle from 17 December to 30 January with a total of 25kg of gold to be won. Residents and visitors who buy jewellery at any of the 180 participating DGJG outlets across Dubai including in Deira Gold Souk, Meena Bazaar and the city’s malls, will enter the raffle. Shoppers who spend AED500 on gold jewellery will receive one raffle coupon and customers who purchase diamonds, pearls, or watches worth AED500 will receive two raffle coupons. Every other day during DSF, four winners will share 1kg of gold equally, with 3kgs of gold to be shared by 12 winners as part of a mega prize draw held on the final day of DSF.

PERFORMING ARTS

DSF’s festive spirit will be on show for all to experience and enjoy with world-class street performers entertaining residents, visitors and shoppers across the city. Musicians, artists and more will host exciting and fun-filled moments for families and friends visiting La Mer, City Walk, Al Seef, Dubai Festival City Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall, The Pointe, City Centre Mirdif and Mall of the Emirates throughout the festival. Residents and visitors are advised to keep an eye out for more information, with a full calendar of performances released on 9 December.

DSF FESTIVE LIGHTING

Dubai’s streets, malls and landmarks will be lit up this DSF with dynamic decorative and branded lighting. Made up of illuminated palm trees, decorative lights on lampposts and metro bridges plus immersive and captivating lighting at the DSF markets, the lights will dazzle onlookers and spread the spirit of fun around the city. Participating locations include La Mer, City Walk, Al Seef, MOTB, Last Exit Al Khawaneej, Airport Road, T3 Dubai Airport arrivals, Maktoum Bridge, Garhoud Bridge, 2^nd December St, 2^nd Zabeel, Al Rigga, Muraqabat, Canal Bridge and Financial Centre metro bridge.

CONCERTS &  SHOWS

Fans of the legendary folk rock act Simon & Garfunkel can enjoy the duo’s most famous songs and career highlights at the Dubai Opera during DSF. The live performance venue will host the critically acclaimed The Simon & Garfunkel Story on 19 December, with shows at 2pm and 8pm. This immersive concert-style event features state-of-the-art video projection, unique lightning, and a full live band.

Arabic music lovers will be spoilt for choice with two great live shows on New Year’s Eve. Dubai World Trade Centre will host a New Year’s Eve show by Arabic singer Nassif Zeytoun, best known for his song “Mesh Aam Tezbat Maae”. Singing stars Wael Kfoury and Mouhamad Khairy will take to the stage on New Year’s Eve at the Festival Arena at the InterContinental Hotel Dubai Festival City.

Comedian Jack Whitehall will bring his International Stood Up Tour to Dubai as part of Dubai Shopping Festival with a show at Dubai World Trade Centre on 14 January, while popular live stand-up show The Laughter Factor will return for a series of gigs during DSF.

The DSF Sale Season promotion will run from 26 December to 30 January with 3,500 outlets offering savings of between 25 per cent to 75 per cent.

There’s plenty more cultural, family and sports events taking place during the six week long festival. For more information, please visit @dsfsocial on social media channels and www.mydsf.ae.