Dubai Shopping Festival kickstarts amidst a lot of excitement

The 25^th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) – organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) – has started today (December 26) and will run until February 1, 2020. It also marks the start of Dubai’s Retail Calendar 2020.

Throughout the 38 days of DSF, there will be city-wide celebrations, ample shopping opportunities, activations, raffle draws, outdoor markets, events, concerts and much more.

In 1996 the first edition of DSF was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. It was a turning point for the retail sector in the region, as the mega shopping event became a reality, elevating Dubai as a year-round family tourism destination.

DSF 2020 is supported by strategic partners including Al-Futtaim, AW Rostamani Group, Dubai Duty Free, Emaar Malls, Emirates Airline, ENOC, Etisalat, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Meraas, Mercato, Nakheel, with key partners including Jumbo Electronics and RAK Bank. This year, more than 1,000 brands are participating in DSF across 4,000 outlets.

“As Dubai has evolved in the last 25 years, so too has DSF. As we unveil our milestone DSF 2020, it highlights and affirms the festival’s greatest edition yet,” said DFRE CEO, Ahmed Al Khaja. “Every DSF we see Dubai at its best; the weather is wonderful, and our key partners and retailers across Dubai make an incredible effort to ensure that people from every culture, age and background come together in celebration of their love of shopping, entertainment and the opportunity to win great prizes. The festival has transformed the lives of thousands of people, who have won incredible prizes over the years. For this momentous 25^th edition, we have taken this tradition of winning to a whole new level with unique mega rewards for shoppers.”

He also stressed that the collaborative efforts undertaken by the private and public sectors contributed to the rapid development of Dubai’s retail sector. DFRE also strives to ensure that strategic partners and retailers meet regularly to discuss important retail initiatives and leverage all efforts to achieve the goals of Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-25.

Moving over to the shopping festival, DSF 2020 kickstarted with a 12-hour sale at six of Majid Al Futtaim malls, including Mall of the Emirates, City Centres Al Shindagha, Deira, Me’aisem and Mirdif, as well as My City Centre Al Barsha.

Like every year, the Dubai Shopping Malls Group’s (DSMG) ‘Spin & Win’ raffle promotion will run from December 26, 2019 to January 31, 2020. With every AED200 spent at any one of the participating malls, 10 lucky shoppers will get the chance to win cash prizes up to AED200,000 during the weekly Spin & Win draw. The participating malls include Al Barsha Mall, Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair Centre, Al Khail Gate Community Centre, Arabian Centre, Bay Avenue Business Bay, BurJuman centre, City Centres Meaisem & Al Shindagha, Dubai Outlet Mall, Dubai Wharf, Etihad Mall, Karama Centre, Mudon, Oasis Mall, Reef Mall, Shorooq Community Centre.

In celebration of 25 years of DSF, the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG) has revealed a special ‘Dubai City of Gold’ commemorative coin and announced their latest jewellery campaign. With every jewellery purchase of AED500 from any of the participating outlets, shoppers will be entitled to one raffle coupon that can win them up to 3,000 gold coins of eight grams each in raffle draws.

Throughout DSF, a series of outdoor markets will be held at various locations across Dubai, each with a special theme. The locations include Al Khawaneej, Al Rigga, Al Seef, City Walk and Hatta. The signature Market Outside The Box (MOTB) will also return for its seventh edition at Burj Park, Downtown Dubai from January 16 to February 1, 2020.

A first-of-its-kind, this year DSF – in collaboration with online food ordering platform Zomato – presents over 1,000 restaurants that will offer 25% off on dine-in experiences for those who have a Zomato Gold membership, which will also available at a 25% discount.

For the first time ever, Dubai Festival City Mall will host the LEGO Festival where children and adults will be able to interact with 11 zones, each celebrating a different LEGO brand. In addition, a LEGO Imagine Show will come alive at the Dubai Festival City Mall from January 8, 2020.

As part of the DSF tradition, there will be firework displays at Al Seef, Dubai Creek, Dubai Festival City, La Mer, The Beach, The Dubai Frame and The Pointe, to name a few.