Dubai Events

Dubai Shopping Festival 2013

The Dubai Shopping Festival 2013 (DSF 2013) will be open from 3rd January and will run until 3rd February 2013, featuring "Dubai at its Best". DSF 2013 is the internationally acclaimed festival and one of the best shopping experiences in the world.

The 32-day shopping extravaganza will bring Dubai into festive spirit, with its unique combination of shopping, winning and entertainment. Apart from shopping and winning prizes, various events and activities will be organized for visitors and residents.

DSF caters to people of all ages, as its programs vary from international concerts, sports, musicals and shows, to outdoor and fashion events.

Organized by Dubai Events and Promotion Establishment (DEPE), DSF 2013 follows the grand success of DSF 2012, which incorporated the slogan "Dubai at its best".

The mega event commences with entertaining street performances, display of fireworks, and proceeds to high discount tax-free shopping, and entertaining events during the festival. The retailers announced up to 75% discount on electronics, jewellery, watches, perfumes, textiles, carpets, and more on major brands.

Apart from these, there are opportunities to win several daily and weekly prizes organized by shopping malls and retailers. Among the prizes to be given are LX50 given in cash in Lexus Mega Raffle.

Also, DSF 2013 will witness wonderful performances by renowned artists, percussionists, acrobats, dancers and more. However, apart from entertainment programs alone, the festival plays a major role in development of tourism in Dubai, and helps in boosting economic condition of the country.

Major features of DSF 2013

Tax-free shopping: The mega event will begin with entertaining street performances and a display of fireworks. Shoppers can begin enjoying the high discounted shopping, and entertaining events organized all through the festival. Shopping in Dubai is largely tax-free, as merchants are permitted to import products from other countries with very little or no custom duties. The shopping malls and retailers will offer up to 75% discount on range of items, including jewellery, watches, electronics, carpets, textiles, perfumes, and handicrafts of major brands.

Attractive Prizes: Apart from the tax-free discounted rates, shoppers can also look forward to an opportunity to win several daily and weekly prizes, organized by participating shopping malls and retailers. The prizes include luxurious LX570 car and Dh.100,000 in cash in the Lexus Mega Raffle. The Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group also announce exciting DSF promotions by offering visitors a chance to win 21kilos of gold worth Dh.4.5mn through raffle draws.

Cultural/Entertainment events: The event, which opens with spectacular firework display, offers a series of colourful cultural programs and entertainment events all through the festival

The Carnival

As always, DSF 2013 will also witness spectacular parade with performances by renowned international artists, apart from shows by acrobats, percussionists, dancers and more. The DSF Carnival is an all-out display by various performers including musicians, jugglers, unicyclists, stilt walkers, all of which render the festive feeling of DSF across Dubai. Visitors get to enjoy live concerts and jazz world performed by some renowned artists.

Dubai Carnivals will be held in different platforms, each with different themes including Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Russian. Every year at least 300 performers participate in the Carnivals, which will be held every weekend during the month-long DSF.

Global Village

The Global Village is another major attraction during the DSF 2012 for visitors, who get to explore international heritage and cultural diversity. The Global Village is associated with DSF, although it runs longer than DSF. The Global Village is a unique concept of bringing the entire globe under a single roof. As the name indicates, Global Village is a true representation of culture of various countries at a single place. Every country will set up its own pavilion, wherein renowned products in their home countries are displayed. Apart from product sale, Global Village also offers entertainment events, food stalls, children rides, sports activities and lucky draws on daily basis.

Carpet Oasis

Carpet Oasis is a treasure trove of carpets, wherein traders from across the world, offer good value on a range of floor coverings. It will be open during Dubai Shopping Festival 2013, with thousands of unique and exclusive handmade, oriental, and Persian carpets and rugs from across the globe will be displayed, apart from a large collection of antique souvenirs.

Children Show

The Dubai Dolphinarium will be organizing an exclusive show for kids during DSF 2013. There are other events too, to keep the children engaged such as Children of World Olympiad, cartoon and circus shows.

Sound and Light Show

A Sound and Light Show that follows renowned sound and light show in Egypt has been planned.

Desert Camp

The DSF Desert Camp offers adventure activities such as quad bikes, horse riding and camel rides.

Aqua Fantasia

One of the largest aquatic shows, wherein, four pools of 4000 Sqm size, performs a terrific tango of water sprinklings, with brilliant colours and synchronised music to match the ups and downs of the sprouts.

Gourmets

A major attraction of the DSF event every year is the gourmets, wherein visitors get to satisfy their taste buds from delicious cuisines prepared from all corners of the world. Scrumptious cuisines ranging from continental to Chinese, Italian to French, and all special Arabic Delights form part of the gourmet.

The food festival during DSF 2013 will see a gathering of people from diverse backgrounds joining together to enjoy international cuisine, involving celebrity chefs, culinary workshops, live cooking counters, and interactive events and exciting prizes.

Sports

Sports enthusiasts who visit Dubai during DSF 2013 will have the opportunity to participate in a range of sporting events, including Open Tennis Championship, Ice Hockey, Hockey on Synthetic Surface, Football Tournament, Russian Ballet on Ice, Skating and Rowing Championships.

Fairs

The DSF 2013 will also offer a range of special events such as seminars, exhibitions, business conventions, book fairs, and Hope Opera for the handicapped.

Travel Packages

Several local travel agencies, tour operators and airlines operate services to the UAE, with special discounted tour packages, targeting tourists seeking to enjoy the Dubai shopping extravaganza during this event. For instance, Emirates, the national airline of Dubai, has been offering attractive tour packages for DSF, and last year, Emirates offered a Pay 3 Stay 4 promotion package offering accommodations in top rated city hotels in Dubai for four nights stay, while paying the price for three. The package was inclusive of complimentary airport shuttles to and from hotel by private car, an Arabian Adventures welcome pack, and more such benefits.

On availing these travel deals, visitors can enjoy sightseeing tours to some most exciting destinations in Dubai, such as Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa and Desert Safari that make it a world-class tourist destination.

The Dubai Shopping Festival will conclude with a magnificent closing ceremony. With so much on the offer, the DSF 2013, is hoped to be a memorable shopping experience both for visitors and residents alike, and is expected to be larger and more successful than the DSF 2011 edition.

About Dubai Shopping Festival

The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), also known as 'Layali Dubai' in Arabic, is one of the most famous shopping fiestas in the world. Dubai Shopping Festival was first introduced in February 1996 by the Dubai government as a retail event aimed at promoting trade in Dubai. Thereafter, DSF has grown to be an annual shopping, entertainment and cultural extravaganza that attracts millions of people from around the world annually, thereby promoting tourism in Dubai.

The one month long festival, with the slogan 'One Family, One World, One Festival', offers visitors some of the major and best brands in the world at lowest prices ever. Dubai has low import duties and no taxation, and therefore, offers amazing value to the bargain hunter. Even the major brands widely available are less expensive in Dubai, than in their country of origin. During DSF, Dubai becomes the most exciting shopping destination in the world.

More than two to three million visitors participate in the Dubai Shopping Festival every year. DSF offers a range of entertainments including international fashion shows, street-side performances, nightly fireworks, performances by artists, film festivals, musical shows, cultural events, all of which reflect the cosmopolitan character of the emirate. Even the parks in Dubai will be used for various entertainment activities such as mini fun fair, space ship, Dubai Creek Tours, World of Ice, Flower Garden, Remote-control boats, Spiderman Zone, Park Taxis, Flower Garden, helicopter tours, Acrobatics Show and China Town. The streets in Dubai too, wear a colourful look, when they play host to DSF activities.

The Dubai Global Village was originally part of Dubai Shopping Festival, but now, is an event of its own, and is open for several months, in contrast to DSF, which is a one month long event.

Though, DSF began largely as a shopping event, with time, it has also grown to be a great entertainment event. DSF plays a vital role in the tourism sector of Dubai.

DSF 2013

After the grand success of DSF 2012, the 18th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival, DSF 2013, organized by the Dubai Events and Promotion Establishment (DEPE), will be held between from 3rd January to 3rd February 2013.

An agency under the Department of Economic Development, namely, The Dubai Events and Promotions Establishments (DEPE), aims to build on the huge success of last year’s event, promising a rich and varied programme of events this year too.

Last year, the festival was successful incorporating the slogan "Dubai at its Best", which sent a strong message to the world that Dubai brings out the best of everything during the festival, said Laila Mohammad Suhail, the DEPE CEO.

This year, DEPE, with the help of strategic partners and sponsors from private and public sectors, plans to capitalize on this success, and reaffirm its statement with a diverse range of offering involving shopping, competitions and entertainment.

The Dubai Shopping Festival was launched in the year 1996, as per the directives of H.H. Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, positioning Dubai as a leading tourist destination, with its true slogan "One World, One Family, One Festival". It has succeeded in drawing more than 42million visitors from across the globe so far, with an investment of nearly Dh.100bn.

Laila had indicated that DSF 2013 dates were decided taking into account the spring break in neighbouring countries and few international target markets.

Certain sectors such as event organizers, government agencies, tour operators, hospitality sectors, retail sectors, and several others, will benefit from knowing the dates in advance. Apart from shopping and prizes, there are a pipeline of events and activities planned from musicals, international concerts, sports shows, outdoor and fashion events being planned

For more details contact:

Dubai Shopping Festival 2013
Start Date: 03/Jan/2013
End Date: 02/February/2013
Venue: Different venues around Dubai
Name of organizer: Dubai Events & Promotional Establishment
Department of Economic Development Building, 1st Floor, Baniyas Street, Deira, Dubai, UAE
Tel: 00971 4 2235 444
Fax: 00971 4 2235 888
Website: www.dubaievents.ae

Dubai Shopping Festival 2012 Grand Opening