Dubai Shopping Festival

Dubai is currently the hot place to shop. Dubai is also one of the world’s most vibrant tourist destinations. 

Dubai Zoo, Dragon Mart, Ski Dubai, Dubai Museum, Dubai Creek, Camel Racing, etc are the main attractions of Dubai. Nowadays Dubai Shopping Festival has become a main attraction of Dubai. DSF was first started in Feb 1996 as a retail event by the Dubai Govt. Since then it has become an annual shopping festival and continues to promote tourism.

Every year the Dubai Shopping Festival lives up to its promise of staging the most exciting activities for the whole family inspired by the theme one world, one family, one festival. More than two million visitors attend the Dubai shopping festival each year, with retail spending totaling in excess of US $ 1 billion. During DSF promotions & discounts make it possible for shoppers to buy branded products at extremely competitive prices.

After your arrival in Dubai, it’s time to begin your Dubai shopping festival; you will want to find the Dubai Gold Souk, where you will be able to purchase some of the finest gold products available on the market today. With over 300 retailers, who usually trade in gold jewelry, you will find famous name retailers such as ARY Jewelry, Prima Gold, and Dames and much more. It is said that on any given day, there is usually no less than 10 tons of available gold for purchase.More than 6,000 retail outlets and 50 shopping malls are participating in DSF 2011 offering great deals and discounts. Of course as part of the Dubai Shopping Festival, you will shop in the Dubai Mall, which is a mall like no other. The first thing that you will want to do is go to one of the banks in the mall and make your currency exchanges and there are several banks to choose from in the mall. In the mall there are many places to see items such as Art, Collectibles and Souvenirs, places to purchase handbags and luggage. There are places available in the mall that offer child care services.

The main focal point of the festival is the Global Village, where the international community gather together to display their culture and heritage through exhibitions of traditional handicrafts, clothing, music and dance. Another popular shopping spot during DSF is the Carpet Oasis. The exhibition shows thousands of unique, exclusive, handmade oriental & persian carpets. DSF offers a variety of entertainment events such as nightly fireworks, laser shows, fashion shows, and music concerts. Festival also has daily raffle draws with lots of prizes. In addition to that the DSF has started an award ceremony for the Ideal Arab Mother, Ideal Family etc. Most airlines flying out of Dubai International Airport offer reduced airfare, along with the much needed excess baggage allowance during DSF.The DSF2008 will be held from 24th January 2018 to 24th February 2018 over a period of 32 days. DSF 2018 is expected to be unique in its own way, as it welcomes visitors to a new season. Hence, while the rest of the world sees four seasons in a year, the Dubai visitors get to enjoy a fifth season, which is expected to be the best of all.

Shopping malls typically stay open throughout the day from 10 AM- 10 PM. However, on Fridays, they open, from 2 PM- 10 PM. Some even stay open until midnight.Always carry sunglasses, hats, and cameras. It is advised to avoid taking photographs of the Muslim women, airports, docks, Government buildings, military installations etc. Always respect the religious sentiments, beliefs and customs of the locals. The next Dubai Shopping Festival will take place in January of 2019.

Ram Mohen

Table Hopper