With just two more weeks left of this edition of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS),residents and visitors are encouraged not to miss out on the season’s big sales, super promotions and family activities taking place all around the city.

The fun continues this weekend, with shoppers invited to explore the stores, tuck into great food, enjoy amazing live music shows and much, much more.

Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), DSS showcases Dubai as a fun, open, welcoming and safe destination, with all of the participating venues, stores and malls following the important health and safety procedures, including social distancing and the wearing of masks at all times.

Here DFRE outlines some of the best activities, deals, sales, events, activations and more taking place across the city this weekend:

LIVE SHOWS

The Laughter Factory will return this weekend with two great stand-up shows at the Movenpick JBR DubaiHotel on 19 and 20 August. Making his much anticipated Dubai debut, comedian Nick Guerra will take to the stage fresh from appearances with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show and Comedy Central’s Stand Up Revolution. Also performing will be Jack Jr, a regular headliner in comedy clubs across the USA, and Lisa Curry, who will take the audience on a joyful ride through her travel escapades. Tickets are available from www.thelaughterfactory.com

German superstar DJ Paul van Dyk will be bringing his SHINE Ibiza residency to Dubai on 19 August. Taking place at the Coca-Cola Arena, the legendary DJ will deliver a unique and authentic Ibiza-style experience for dance music fans in one of the biggest music events of the year. Tickets are available from visitdubai.com

The Theatre at Mall of the Emirates will welcome the Moscow City Ballet’s production of Cinderella: Bite Size Ballet on 19 and 21 August.  A unique and exciting family experience, it will feature an immersive score by legendary composer Sergei Prokofiev and original choreography by Victor Smirnov-Golovanov. Full of elegance and unreserved fun, tickets are available from visitdubai.com

Comedy fans can enjoy a top-notch evening of Arabic comedy at Dubai Opera on 20 August with The Show W Bass. Featuring a stellar line-up of comics, guests can expect great jokes and more from Hisham Haddad, JadBou Karam, Amal Taleb and Elie Chemaly plus guest of honour Tony AbouJaoude. Tickets are available from visitdubai.com

EXPO 2020 DUBAI

The mega event will open its doors to visitors on 1 October, but residents and visitors can now buy tickets. Taking place over six months, Expo 2020 Dubai will feature an incredible collection of shows, experiences and more with a daily schedule of unforgettable moments. With three main districts, named Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity, visitors will be able to explore pavilions representing almost every country on Earth as well as learn about Expo 2020 Dubai’s initiatives, edutainment activities and more. Tickets, which range from daily entry to season passes, can be purchased from www.expo2020dubai.com

FUN FOR FOODIES

This weekend is the last chance for food lovers to enjoy great deals on breakfast, lunch and dinner at top Dubai restaurants, for incredible prices as part of DSS Summer Restaurant Week. Held until Saturday 21 August, the great food promotion will delight diners with special menus available for both adults and children with menus from AED69 for adults and AED25 for children at 30 of Dubai’s best eateries. To view the full list of restaurants and book your table, visit www.SummerRestaurantWeek.com.

Families, friends, residents and visitors can eat their way around the world with the DSS Dine & Win promotion. Taking place until 4 September and featuring some of the city’s best-loved restaurants and cafes, the promotion is filled with wonderful food moments to suit every taste. Diners who spend AED100 at Dine & Win eateries will receive a scratch and win coupon with a chance to take home a ZOMATO PRO membership or RAK Bank gift cards loaded with AED200. During the back to school period, diners will receive two coupons with double the chances to win. Participating venues can be found at the Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair Centre, Al Warqa City Mall, Al Khail Gate Community, BurJuman, Binsougat Centre, Bay Avenue, Dubai Outlet Mall, Mudon Community, Oasis Mall and Shurooq Community Centre. Diners and families can also visit venues at Reef Mall, Times Square Centre, Union Cooperative Al Quoz, Wasl Vita, Dar Wasl, Wasl 51 and Souk Madinat Jumeirah.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

The Green Planet will hold an exciting three-day children’s interactive ‘edutainment’ event based around learning to make our world a better place. The ‘Tales of The Green Planet’ will take place at the indoor rainforest from 19 to 21 August. Fun activities for children aged three to 10 include a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts, lively storytelling from authors and illustrators and a letter-writing corner where children can send notes to their favourite animals – and receive a reply back by email. All activities are free for The Green Planet ticket holders.

Until 31 August from, Kidzania will host a live animal exhibition in partnership with Dubai Safari and Dubai Tourism. Kids can enjoy feeding their favourite animals as well as learning fun facts about them. The Dubai Safari experience is held daily at the kids’ attraction at The Dubai Mall from 1pm to 4pm.

The annual Summer Sports Camp at Mirdif Camp invites residents and visitors with kids to take part in a wide range of great games and activities. Held at City Centre Mirdif until 26 August, the camp features a variety of sports from football, basketball, tennis and dodgeball among others to help the little ones beat boredom during the school holidays.

Dubai Festival City Mall will welcome shoppers and families with young children to a fun beach-themed activation featuring activities, games, a playground and sandpit for the little ones. Shoppers who spend AED300 in the mall will be entered into a raffle to win a gift card loaded with AED20,000, with prize draws held each week of DSS. Customers who spend AED300 can also win instant prizes by taking part in a range of fun games held at the in-mall beach attraction.

The Summer Paradise activation continues at Festival Plaza this weekend, with the mall hosting a camp featuring a variety of workshops for kids including ceramic painting, donut decorating, gardening and story sessions. There will also be free fitness classes in partnership with The Pad fitness and Gymnation until 28 August, with two classes on Friday and Saturday that include pilates, dance, and cardio. Families can also enjoy play areas and fun photo opportunities.

The Beach opposite JBR will delight diners this weekend with exclusive deals at eateries and foodie attractions. As part of the Summer Code promotion, families and friends who scan a QR code can enjoy great savings on dining, leisure and retail experiences. The Summer Code promotion runs throughout DSS.

This weekend, the Outlet Village will team up with five of Dubai’s best influencers to host the TOV Styling Competition on social media. Viewers will be asked to visit the mall to style some looks, and submit their creations via social media for a chance to win a staycation at a Jumeirah hotel, a stay and play getaway in Hatta next season of tickets to Laguna Waterpark. The competition will consist of five categories: Professional, Sports / Fitness, Luxury, Lifestyle / Casual and Kids.

Until 28 August, Modesh World will welcome kids of all ages with a great selection of rides, games, edutainment activities plus the chance to meet everyone’s favourite characters, Modesh and Dana. The family-themed experience takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre’s Sheikh Saeed Halls 1, 2, 3 and The Arena. Children and parents can enjoy an immersive theme park experience complete with retail and F&B zones. One lucky visitor will win a GAC-GS5 2021 Model family car courtesy of Gargash Group when they spend AED300, with a winner announced on 28 August. Modesh World is open Sunday to Wednesday from 2pm to 10pm and Thursday to Saturday from 10am to 12am.

Mercato Mall will welcome families with a host of shopping deals and fun activities. Customers can ride on a giant slide installed over the escalators and the mall will host live entertainment featuring circus shows. Both Mercato and Town Centre Jumeirah malls will offer DSS Shop & Win promotions with shoppers able to take advantage of sales with up to 75 per cent off at most retail outlets, as well as have the chance to win AED10,000 each week with every spend of AED200.

The Splash Fest promotion will give families and friends the chance to visit the city’s best-loved waterparks and enjoy super deals. La Mer will offer plenty of weekend fun with four tickets to Laguna Waterpark available for the price of three, plus an hour at the Splash ’n’ Party attraction at La Mer Central will cost just AED50. Both deals will run until 4 September. LEGOLAND® Water Park at Dubai Parks and Resort has a package of Splash Fest offers including 20 per cent off the price of a ticket when booked online in advance, 50 per cent off the price of cabanas after 4pm, plus kids eat for free after 4pm this weekend and until 4 September. Visitors to Wild Wadi Waterpark can pick up an admission ticket plus meal for AED149 as part of its Splash Fest offer available until 28 August.

IMG Worlds of Adventure’s Summer Festival will take place until 28 August with daily fun for families. Guests will be thrilled by the daily LED Display Dance Extravaganza featuring aerial artists soaring through the air plus a4x4-metre Indoor Beach and the Character Parade of more than 30 cartoon stars. Visitors will also be entertained by zombies on a haunted hotel truck, dinosaurs on a safari truck, circus performers including stilt walkers, uni cyclists, swamp creatures, jugglers, African drummers, African dancers and more. Guests at IMG Worlds of Adventure can also ‘enjoy great competitions, deals and lots of delicious food options to explore.

On 21 August, the DSS Fitness Beyond campaign and Core Direction will hold a special evening meditation session at The View, The Palm, the newly opened 52nd floor observation deck at Nakheel Mall’s Palm Tower, Palm Jumeirah. The 45-minute experience will be held from 8.30pm. Guests check-in at The View registration desk before embracing the night lights of the city as part of a guided meditation and breathwork session.Tickets are priced AED149 per person and the event is limited to 150 participants. Visit www.coredirection.com for more information.

RETAIL & RAFFLES

From 21 to 31 August, Mall of the Emirates will host the Fenty Beauty Canyon activation. A never seen before Fenty Beauty interactive concept exclusive to DSS, the Fenty Beauty Canyon will feature a locally inspired celebration of perfectly, imperfect natural and radiant beauty products. Shoppers can enjoy exclusive gifts with selected purchases as well as a range of engaging activities to explore throughout the unique and stylish popup.

Taking place each day of the summer-long festival, the DSSSummer Sale includes more than 500 brands and 3,500 outlets with savings of 25-75 per cent. This weekend, shoppers can also discover great back to school deals on classroom must-haves. Participating stores include fashion outlets Bershka, Bloomingdale’s, Gant and Forever 21, department store Debenhams, sportswear brand Fila plus homeware favourites Interiors and Indigo Living.

From 19 to 21 August, DSS 10% Off MUSE Days will see MUSE members unlock great deals when shopping for fashion, beauty products and fragrances from top designer brands such as Kenzo, Stella McCartney and Michael Kors, and concept stores Level Shoes, Faces and Tanagra, to name a few. Members can also win one of 10 shopping sprees worth AED10,000 each, which can be redeemed across the MUSE network of brands.To take part in DSS 10% Off MUSE Days, download the MUSE app.

This weekend, and until the end of DSS on 4 September, the DSS SHARE Millionaire promotion will give shoppers who spend AED300 or more at Majid Al Futtaim malls including Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira and City Centre Me’aisem an opportunity to become a weekly winner of one million SHARE points. To enter, customers can either use their SHARE wallet or scan their shopping receipts using the app. There will be nine winners in total announced during DSS, with remaining weekly prize draws taking place on 22 & 29 August and 7 September.

DSS customers can win a luxury vehicle with the DSS Mercedes Mega Raffle. Shoppers who buy a special AED150 coupon at ENOC and EPPCO petrol stations, ZOOM stores and stands in malls and other venues have a chance of winning a 2021 Mercedes C200 plus AED25,000. The raffle, which runs until 25 September, is also available online at www.idealz.com.

Dubai Summer Surprises is supported by Key Sponsor RAKBANK MasterCard and Strategic Partners which include: Al Futtaim Group (Dubai Festival City Mall and Dubai Festival Plaza), Al Zarooni Group (Mercato Shopping Mall), AW Rostamani Group, Dubai Holding, Emirates Airline, Enoc, Etisalat, Majid Al Futtaim (Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira), Merex and Nakheel (Ibn Battuta Mall, Nakheel Mall and Circle Mall).

For more information, log onto the website mydss.ae or follow @DSSsocial for the latest information.