Dubai Shopping Festival offers you exceptional experiences, deals and entertainment

| 6 min read

Dubai: The 28th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) kicked off by attracting shoppers to the city’s most popular retail destinations. Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), DSF is designed to make the festive season extra special for all, bringing a wealth of retail offers and exciting entertainment to Dubai.   

The second week of the Dubai Shopping Festival (December 22- 28), will see a mix of special retail offers, stunning art installations and spectacular fireworks as the year comes to a close. Take a trip to Last Exit Al Khawaneej for everything old-school in Dubai ’80s, or be mesmerised by a visit to the Dubai Lights art installations at City Walk, The Palm and Design District (D3). 

Additionally, the fireworks by Al Zarooni Group will light up the sky at some of the city’s most iconic locations including Al Seef, Dubai Frame, Bluewaters and more; visit Santa’s Secret Island at Bluewaters, or watch the thrilling Fontana Circus with family.  

Unbeatable Offers   

This year, there are over 800 brands and 3500 outlets participating in DSF which means there are a massive amount of great deals to be had. Shoppers can take advantage of 25-75 per cent off products from global and local retail favourites until 29 January.  

Visitors will enjoy the return of the much-awaited exclusive 12-Hour Sale at Majid Al Futtaim Malls which will kick start the DSF Sale Season. This strictly limited-time sale, which takes place on 26 December from 10 AM to 10 PM, gives shoppers the chance to pick up incredible deals of up to 90 per cent off on favourite brands at Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira, City Centre Me‘aisem, City Centre Al Shindagha and My City Centre Al Barsha.   

Brands participating in the 12-Hour Sale at Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) malls include Accessorize, Lululemon, Giordano, Nine West, Al Jaber Optical, Crate & Barrel, Simply Kitchen, THAT and many more. 

The DSF Blue Rewards Double Cashback is returning with various retail activations and promotions provided by the participating brands and outlets, taking place on December 23 -24, 2022. 

From 15 December until 29 January, shoppers can participate in The Greatest Deal Of The Year at Dubai Festival City Mall. Spend AED 300 or more on shopping, dining or entertainment experiences during DSF and be in with a chance to win the grand prize of AED 1,000,000.   

This DSF, Tickit provides a first-of-its-kind rewards programme offering members an effortless way to earn points instantly across diverse categories at some of the UAE’s leading destinations, attractions and entertainment offerings. Shoppers have a chance to earn double or triple points across key programme partners, as well as incredible daily prizes including passes to Dubai Parks and Resorts; tickets to Roxy Cinemas, dining experiences and so much more. Every new Tickit member who signs up between 15 December and 29 January 2023 with a linked Visa or Mastercard issued from the UAE and spends as little as AED100 will enter a weekly draw to win 50,000 Tickit points equivalent to AED 50,000. A total of 350,000 Tickit points will be given away, so savvy shoppers should be sure to sign up. To learn more, download the Tickit Rewards app or visit Gettickit.com or the Tickit Facebook page.   

With the return of DSF SHARE Millionaire, shoppers at Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira, City Centre Me’aisem, and City Centre Al Shindagha can take home up to one million SHARE points. From 15 December to 29 January for each spend of AED 300 or more, shoppers can either use the SHARE wallet or scan their shopping receipts through the app for a chance to become one of six SHARE millionaires.   

This year, Everyone is a winner at Oasis Mall with a variety of promotions giving a chance to win a daily valuable surprise starting December 27, 2022. 

Fireworks, Drone Shows, Art Installations, and more 

In celebration of DSF, the spectacular fireworks by Al Zarooni Group will light up the city throughout the festival, at popular venues such as Al Seef, Bluewaters and The Beach, JBR, and Dubai Festival City Mall.  There will also be dazzling fireworks at other icons of Dubai including Dubai Frame, Dubai Creek, and Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.  For the second week of DSF, visitors can catch the sparkling fireworks displays at Al Seef at 8.30 PM every day starting on 26th December until 30th December.   

The Beach JBR and Bluewaters are once again hosting the region’s longest-running drone show for the 28th edition of DSF. Running until 29 January 2023, the drone show will be performed twice each night, once at 7 PM and then at 10 PM. This magnificent show will also host a laser show on 23 and 24 December 2022. The themes for these enchanting drone shows are focused on a day in the life of a tourist on a visit to Dubai for DSF and a trip into the futuristic metaverse to see what Dubai might look like in 2040.   

Tourists and residents alike can enjoy the art installations that are a part of the Dubai Lights festival, in its second edition this year. This festival celebrates the power, resilience, and positivity of light and sound, as a symbol of connection between people, places, and nature.  This week visitors and residents alike can check out the vibrant Sea Wonder Parade at Nakheel Mall on 23 and 24 December, from 6 PM to 8 PM as well as see other immersive installations at The Pointe, Nakheel Mall, and Palm West Beach.  

At Dubai Design District, residents and tourists can find the Sky Castle by Studio Eness, Australia, until 29 January. This is an interactive sound and light installation that lights up according to guests’ movements. At City Walk, visitors can experience the exceptional installations that are a part of Dubai Lights until 29 January.  

Visitors can also take a trip down memory lane at Last Exit Al Khawaneej with the Dubai 80’s attraction.  With an old-school theme, visitors can see old toys and books, video consoles on display, while enjoying old school tunes and a Dukan selling childhood-favourite snacks and drinks. Dubai 80’s is open between 4 PM and 11 PM until 8 January 2023. 

Family Festive Entertainment  

Experience the first travelling water circus in the Middle East. Bringing breathtaking performances, special effects, and thrilling aerial performances to town, the Fontana Circus runs until December 31, at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall. Shows are at 6 PM on weekdays, and 3 PM and 6 PM on weekends, with tickets starting at AED 90.  

Santa’s Secret Island at Bluewaters is making the season all the more festive with its enchanting activities, including Santa’s Workout Session, Santa’s Ice Rink, Santa’s Workshop, Santa’s Grotto, and more. Entry to all these activities is free, except the Ice Rink which requires a minimum spend of AED 150. Santa’s Secret Island is taking place until 28 December, and families can enjoy activities with Santa and his elves from 4 PM to 9 PM daily. 

VIsitors will be transported to the Arctic with the Aurora Light Festive at Ibn Battuta Mall, featuring enchanting projections recreating the stunning Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, from 2 PM to 10 PM until 1 January. Decorations across 5 courts, the India Court, Persia Court, Egypt Court, Tunisia Court, and the China Court, make this the spot for Instagram-worthy pictures. 

Head over to Festive Village, Gate Avenue at DIFC to get into the spirit of the season and celebrate with Santa and his elves.Until 25 December from 2 PM onwards, visitors have the opportunity to make memories with family and participate in workshops, photo-ops, and more with the man himself. 

Experience the best of sports and entertainment at the World Tennis League, which is in town from 19 to 24 December at the Coca-Cola Arena. On 24 December, at 10 PM, join Armin Van Buuren, the Dutch dance music king, for the closing concert of this exciting tennis event. 

Join Indian comedian Kunal Kamra for a lot of laughs with his intelligent observational comedy, on 24 December, at Sheikh Rashid Auditorium. Tickets start from AED 139, doors to the show open at 7.30 PM. 

Exciting Raffles 

The Dubai Jewellery Group (DJG) raffle will give 100 shoppers the unmissable opportunity to win 25 kilograms of gold in total. Entering the raffle is easy, simply spend over AED 500 on gold jewellery at participating stores and get one entry ticket.  Spend over AED 500 on diamond and pearl jewellery and get two tickets for the raffle for an even better chance to win.   

The DSF Mega Raffle also has fantastic rewards for the lucky winners. To enter the raffle, buy a ticket worth AED 200 at an ENOC or EPPCO petrol station, and get the unmissable chance to win a Nissan Patrol or AED 100,000 cash every day during the festival.  

At Mercato Mall, shoppers can win AED 20,000 weekly this DSF, by spending AED 200 or more at the mall. That’s not all, Mercato outlets are also offering shoppers a jaw-dropping 25-75 per cent off products. 

Twenty-five lucky winners have the chance to win cash prizes from AED 10,000 up to AED 40,000 in the Dubai Shopping Malls Group’s raffle. Shoppers spending AED 200 or above at participating malls, including Al Ghurair Centre, Al Bustan Centre, Bay Avenue, Serena Market Place,  Arabian Center, Dubai Festival Plaza, Century Mall, Al Barsha Mall, Al Barsha South Mall, Times Square Center, Etihad Mall, and more, are eligible to enter into this raffle.  

Participate in the Jumbo raffle to win up to 250 grams of gold this DSF. One lucky winner will receive 250 grams of gold, six weekly winners will receive 50 grams of gold each, while 46 daily winners will receive 10 grams of gold each. To participate, spend AED 1,000 or more at Jumbo stores or on Jumbo.ae. The raffle runs until 29 January, during store timings.  

Shoppers have the chance to win big for only a short period as the DSF Lucky Receipt draws to an end on 25 December. 10 prizes are to be won each day, with prizes including jewellery sets, a Samsung TV, iPhone 14 Pro Max, a limited edition PS5, watches, and more. Spend more than AED 500 at Eros, Jumbo, Sharaf DG, Jawahra, Rivoli Eyezone, The Watch House, Galleries Lafayette, Emax, or FACES and Crate & Barrel to enter this raffle. Dubai Shopping Festival Deals Entertainment Dubai Shopping Festival Deals Entertainment Dubai Shopping Festival Deals Entertainment Dubai Shopping Festival Deals Entertainment