In collaboration with the Consulate General of India to the United Arab Emirates and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing Dubai (DTCM), Dubai Festival City Mall will be home to the biggest Diwali celebrations in Dubai this year to bring the 3.3 million Indians residing in the city an unrivalled experience at its world-class destination to celebrate Diwali in style. The occasion will be marked on Thursday 24th October when the mall launches its fourth magnificent IMAGINE show, ‘Hathi’s Garden’ that brings visitors a unique experience with a hint of Bollywood, splash of colour and specially curated musical score, accompanied by a specially choreographed fireworks display.

It is expected that over 30,000 visitors will attend the launch on the night, with over one million to visit the activation until the end of November. On launch day, the festivities will start at 4pm at Festival Bay where free LED Wristbands will be given to the first 5,000 guests and visitors can enjoy the live DJ playing the latest Bollywood hits and Indian cultural and Bollywood dances across the bay. Virgin Radio, City FM and Al Arabiya will also be broadcasting live to keep their listeners updated on all the festivities happening at the launch and run various games and competitions for a chance for visitors to win big prizes!

Steven Cleaver, Director, Shopping Centres Dubai, Al-Futtaim Malls, said: “Our IMAGINE shows have always been extremely popular amongst our visitors so we are thrilled to be back again with our fourth show. Tying in with the ‘Year of Tolerance’ we wanted to celebrate Diwali like never before to give Indian expatriates that are away from home the chance to celebrate the occasion here with us in Dubai.”

To mark this grand launch, Dubai Festival City Mall has partnered with global initiative Elephant Parade to bring fifty life-size baby elephant statues to Dubai for the first time in the Middle East. The statues will form part of a six-week exhibition around the Mall giving shoppers the chance to capture pictures with the beautiful artefacts and raise awareness for elephant conservation.