The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is a month-long retail event, first established in 1996. Stores across the city offer huge discounts on gold, watches and jewellery, clothes, electronics, carpets and more.
Over the years it has helped Dubai gain international recognition as one of the world’s major shopping destinations. It draws millions of visitors from all corners of the globe and has played a major part in the massive expansion of the city’s retail sector.
The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) is the government department responsible for organising both the Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises. From the onset they realised that discounts alone weren’t enough to pull in the crowds.
An extensive programme of live entertainment, concerts, fashion shows, fireworks displays, and mega-raffles compliment the shopping deals and promotions.
The enormity of the raffle prizes is staggering, frequently bordering on the ridiculous. Since the inaugural festival almost 1,000 luxury vehicles have been raffled, including 31 Rolls Royce cars in 2001. In 2005 one lucky winner went home with 100 kilograms of gold.
All major shopping malls participate in the Dubai Shopping Festival. Each has their own programme of events. Visit their websites to see what’s on and find out about specific offers and discounts.
The Dubai Shopping Festival 2020/2021 starts on December 26 2010 and finishes on January 24 2021 (TBC). It runs concurrently with Global Village, a seasonal attraction at Dubailand.
