Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 6 December 2024: The monumental 30th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) has kicked off today, from 6 December 2024 to 12 January 2025, with scale that will remain unmatched.
The Dubai Shopping Festival isn't just a sale; it's a 38-day cultural phenomenon that transforms the city into a hub of magic, excitement, and endless adventures. While the Aussies love Boxing Day, United States celebrate Black Friday and China dominates with Singles Day, Dubai has curated a non-stop celebration that transcends traditional shopping, offering an experience with incredible A-list concerts, non-stop fireworks, dazzling twice-nightly drone shows, world-class retail adventures, and astounding raffles that promise to create unmissable moments for everyone.
What started 30 years ago as a key sales event at just five shopping malls has evolved into the world’s longest-running retail festival. Today, DSF is Dubai’s biggest and most highly anticipated annual festival, showcasing everything that makes the city extraordinary, including world-class events, entertainment, gastronomy, concerts, immersive experiences, fireworks, and drone shows, to name a few.
This year’s edition will also raise the bar even higher with new-to-Dubai concepts such as DSF Nights at Dubai Festival City Mall, DSF Auto Season, THE UNCOMMON x DSF, and DSF x Hatta, among several others. Visitors can also look forward to joyful festive experiences, world-class New Year’s Eve celebrations, sensational adventures at thrilling theme parks, high-octane outdoor adventures, and iconic beachside destinations — all brought together during Dubai’s beautiful weather.
Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), commented: “As we proudly mark the 30th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival, we are thrilled to present an unparalleled lineup of events that will truly solidify Dubai’s position as the world’s premier destination for extraordinary events, festivals, and experiences. With 38 days of endless entertainment, DSF’s 30th anniversary promises to be an incredible experience for all, at the ultimate time to be in Dubai. This season, as we bring together the entire city in celebration of this incredible milestone, we are delighted to share all that DSF, and Dubai, have to offer to our local community, visitors, and the world. Every moment will be filled with joy, wonder, and unforgettable memories, reaffirming why Dubai remains at the forefront of global excellence in tourism, entertainment, and retail.”
Check out the lineup of events and experiences taking place in the first week of the most extraordinary programme in DSF history.
321 FESTIVAL - FAMILY CARNIVAL & ENTERTAINMENT AT CITY WALK
- Date: 6 to 8 December
- Location: City Walk
- About: A dazzling array of carnival-themed activities, immersive workshops, and captivating roaming entertainment will head to the heart of Dubai for DSF’s epic opening weekend. This vibrant, family-friendly celebration will run daily from 12pm until late evening, creating an atmosphere filled with endless fun, excitement, and magical moments for all ages.
DSF DAILY FIREWORK AT DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL AND HATTA
- Date: 6 December 2024 - 12 January 2025
- Location: Dubai Festival City Mall and Hatta
- About: Dazzling shows by Al Zarooni Group will illuminate Dubai Festival City Mall every day at 9:15pm, while Hatta will light up the skies every Friday and Saturday at 8pm.
DSF TWICE-DAILY DRONE SHOW AT BLUEWATERS ISLAND AND THE BEACH, JBR
- Date: 6 December 2024 - 12 January 2025
- Location: Bluewaters Island and The Beach, JBR
- About: Dubai skies will come alive with spectacular twice-daily drone shows presented by Emarat at 8pm and 10pm. The longest in DSF history, these mesmerising performances will feature a total of 1,000 drones creating all-new breathtaking displays that celebrate Dubai’s rich past, dynamic present, and visionary future. From 6 to 26 December, the first theme of the show will captivate audiences with vibrant visuals and stunning drone formations, paying tribute to three decades of iconic DSF moments.
- Date: 6 December 2024 - 12 January 2025
- Location: Bluewaters Island, Palm Nakheel Mall, Palm West Beach, Al Seef, Dubai Design District, Al Marmoom, Kite Beach, Hatta, and City Walk
- About: Dubai Lights will transform the city into a radiant showcase of creativity through immersive light installations designed by renowned international artists, turning the city into a glowing hub of artistic brilliance.
DSF NIGHTS AT DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL
- Date: 6 December 2024 - 12 January 2025
- Location: Dubai Festival City Mall
- About: The mall’s Festival Bay will come alive with free-to-attend Saturday night concerts by top Arab stars including Ahmed Saad on 6 December and Shamma Hamdan on 7 December for DSF’s epic opening weekend. One-of-a-kind retail pop-ups and trendy dining concepts will bring even more excitement to the experience, while the IMAGINE show will deliver a breathtaking spectacle twice every evening, concluding with awe-inspiring fireworks. Families will delight in a vibrant array of entertainment, with engaging activities and performances designed for all ages, including daily meet-and-greets with the city’s beloved characters, Modesh & Dana, and a dazzling experience by the spectacular Pluma Circus. Adding to the thrill, shoppers will have the unique chance to witness DSF’s daily raffle draws live and get the chance to win one Million Blue Rewards (equivalent to AED 10,000) with DSF Modesh & Blue Rewards Millionaire raffle.
- Date: 6 December 2024 - 5 January 2025
- Location: Hatta Wadi Hub
- About: Hatta Wadi Hub will come alive with enchanting light displays, dazzling firework displays on the weekend, a vibrant mix of live music performances, outdoor experiences, iconic dining options, immersive lights, and fireworks. Free entry for all from 12pm to 12am on weekends and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays.
- Date: 12 December 2024
- Location: Coca-Cola Arena
- About: The legendary band promises an electrifying performance, with tickets starting at AED 295 and available for purchase now on the Coca-Cola Arena website.
- Date: 6 December 2024 - 12 January 2025
- Location: Expo City Dubai, Al Wasl Plaza
- About: Join Mrs. Claus for festive fun, including sorting the naughty and nice list, decorating cookies, and creating holiday crafts. Brimming with surprises and holiday cheer, the factory will be open daily from 2pm to 10pm, with tickets priced at AED 40 online and AED 50 at the box office.
- Date: 6 December 2024 onwards
- Location: Meydan Racecourse
- About: The Dubai Racing Carnival will make its grand return for the 2024-2025 season, offering an impressive prize purse and a line-up of world-class events. The season will feature thrilling horse races, vibrant live entertainment, and exquisite five-star dining every Friday, making it one of the most prestigious gatherings in the region.
DSF VISA DIB MILLIONAIRE
- Date: 6 December 2024 - 12 January 2025
- Location: Citywide
- About: By spending AED 500 cumulatively with a Dubai Islamic Bank Visa Debit or Credit Card at participating DSF stores, shoppers will gain entries into a draw to win an incredible 1 million dirhams, with no limit on the number of entries.
DSF AMBER MILLIONAIRE
- Date: 6 - 8 December 2024
- Location: Participating Al Tayer brands citywide
- About: This DSF, Amber Millionaire presents an extraordinary chance for 30 Amber Members to win one million Amber points each, equivalent to AED 10,000, by spending AED 500 on full-price merchandise in a single transaction during the offer period. Customers who meet the qualifying spend will automatically be entered into the raffle draw.
- Date: 6 December 2024 - 12 January 2025
- Location: Citywide
- About: DSF brings 38 back-to-back days of incredible daily rewards, epic grand raffles, mega prize draws, and out-of-this-world retail promotions. Each day will bring countless chances for residents and visitors to turn their dreams into reality and take home thrilling prizes like DSF Mega Raffle, incredible prizes with ENOC, Emirates Skywards Everyday Millionaire campaign, Biggest Prize of the Year promotion at Majid Al Futtaim malls, Modesh and BLUE Rewards Millionaire at Dubai Festival City Mall, Dubai Jewellery Group’s grand raffle of 1.5 million dirhams in gold, the Shop, Spin, and Win promotion by Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG), and 30 DSF Golden Tickit prizes totalling a whopping AED 300,000 this season.
For more information, visit the Dubai Shopping Festival website and follow @DubaiFestivals on Instagram and TikTok.
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About us:
About Dubai Shopping Festival 2025:
This year, Dubai proudly celebrates the 30th anniversary of its iconic annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) from 6 December 2024 to 12 January 2025. The monumental 30th edition of DSF is the city’s most incredible, most memorable, and out-of-this-world celebration, with an action-packed calendar of 38 wonder-filled days brimming with non-stop, day-in-day-out moments for everyone, every day, in every corner of the city. This year's not-to-be-missed season of DSF pays an epic tribute to three decades of welcoming the world to celebrate everything that makes Dubai extraordinary. DSF’s eagerly anticipated experiences bring together the very best that the city has to offer, including A-list stars, unique-to-Dubai attractions, exceptional hospitality, a thriving gastronomy scene, ever-popular outdoor pop-up community experiences, the biggest-ever shopping deals, and incredible chances to win life-changing prizes. Plus, some of the world’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve celebrations, as well as joyful festive experiences and free enchanting immersive displays of lights, fireworks, drones, and pyrotechnics, promise endless excitement for everyone - all set against the backdrop of the city’s perfect weather for the season.
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About Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment
Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), is responsible for developing Dubai’s retail and festival sectors and supporting the positioning of Dubai as a world-class tourism destination with year-round family entertainment, shopping and events.
Contact details:
Vaibhav Mehta
Vaibhav.Mehta@edelman.com
