Dubai shopping festival celebrates its 25th edition

- Dubai shopping festival celebrates its 25th edition in collaboration with the city’s leading retailers

The 25th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) was launched on Thursday 26 December and will run until Saturday 1 February, featuring a diverse and exciting 38-day programme of promotions, opportunities to win, innovative experiences, show-stopping entertainment and brand activations for everyone to enjoy.

On this occasion, organisers Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) have commended the commitment of its strategic partners and key sponsors who are set to make this edition the best one yet. The success of the festival largely depends on key contributors including Al Futtaim, Al Zarooni Group (Mercato), AW Rostamani Group, Dubai Duty Free, Emaar, Emirates Airline, ENOC, Etisalat, Jumbo, Majid Al Futtaim, Meraas, Nakheel, RAKBANK MasterCard, and National Food Products Company - Oasis Water and Lacnor whose support ultimately drives the retail tourism and significantly enhances visitor numbers and consumer spend.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) said: “This year, the entire city has united for the 25th edition of one of the world’s longest running shopping festivals, an event that has helped cement Dubai as a global retail destination.  The support of our strategic partners and key sponsors underpins the success of the festival, highlighted by the incredible line-up recently revealed for all of Dubai’s residents and visitors. We continue to collaborate with our partners to bring everyone a bigger and better festival each year, ensuring we’re benchmarking against the top retail destinations across the world and that Dubai continues to offer a shopping experience like no other.”

Steven Cleaver, Director, Shopping Centers Dubai, Al-Futtaim Malls said “Dubai Shopping Festival is one of the biggest retail periods in Dubai that continues to drive shopping and a wide tourist demographic to Dubai Festival City Mall. Further positioning Dubai as the home of world class entertainment and experiences, this year, Dubai Festival City Mall will launch the first ‘Lego IMAGINE show’ as Lego comes to life across our record-breaking show, which will coincide with the start of ‘The Lego Festival’ on Wednesday 8thJanuary. The IMAGINE show will play to audiences free every night featuring a light show and 3D effects to bring the LEGO characters to life. In addition, visitors will enjoy six nights of fireworks. This will be a first-of-its-kind experience in the Middle East and we are excited to launch during the 25th Anniversary of DSF.”

Nisreen Boustani, PR and Corporate Communications Manager of Mercato and Town Centre commented, “We look forward to another season of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), which continues to flourish year-on-year. DSF draws visitors from around the world and highlights Dubai on a global stage as a hub for shopping, leisure, and entertainment. As part of this season and to celebrate the 25th anniversary, Mercato is hosting a range of unique and Italian themed activities and entertainment that will appeal to families and children. What’s more Shoppers will take advantage of the incredible offers by spending AED 200 from 26 December to 1 February and get the chance to win valuable cash prizes. Following its remarkable successes in the previous years, (DSF) milestone 25th edition will set the tone for another big and memorable year of leisure and entertainment.”

Michel Ayat, CEO of Arabian Automobiles Company, the flagship company of AW Rostamani Group and exclusive distributor for Nissan, INFINITI and Renault in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, said: “For 25 years, Dubai Shopping Festival has been a consolidation of Dubai’s global position, attracting the attention of the world with all that is has come to represent across the years. It is with absolute pride that Arabian Automobiles once again strategically collaborate with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, as it has since the festival’s inception, to ascertain an optimal retail experience for both citizens, residents, and visitors alike.”

“As part of our collaboration with the DFRE, we have exceptional campaigns instore for this year’s event, constituting the INFINITI Mega Raffle, whereby shoppers stand a chance to win an all-new QX50 and AED 200,000 every day; and the Nissan Grand Raffle, which will witness 33 Nissan vehicles across five models being rewarded to lucky consumers, including the Nissan Patrol 2020, which will be presented by Arabian Automobiles, that was recently launched with a distinctive new design and advanced safety features. We look forward to an even brighter and more prosperous 2020 as we help leave a mark that will pave the path through the new decade and beyond.”

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Dubai Duty Free commented: “Dubai Duty Free has supported the Dubai Shopping Festival since its inception in 1996, and we are very proud to be a part of its milestone 25th edition, making it the longest running festival of its kind. As a strategic partner of DFRE, Dubai Duty Free is constantly striving to offer passengers a world-class shopping experience. Dubai Duty Free is very much part of the fabric of Dubai's growth as a world class destination. As Dubai prepares to host the Expo 2020, it is no doubt a manifestation of Dubai’s ability to maintain its leadership position as the best city for festivals and events and we are certain that this will be the most successful edition to date.”

An Emaar Malls spokesperson said: “Emaar Malls is proud to partner with the Dubai Festivals & Retail Establishment on the 25th anniversary celebration of Dubai Shopping Festival, the flagship shopping and entertainment extravaganza that has contributed immensely to establishing Dubai as a tourism and retail hub. Since its inception, DSF has transformed the retail and entertainment landscape of Dubai, attracting the world’s leading brands and welcoming visitors from across the world. The 25th anniversary of DSF is even more special as it coincides with the year of Expo 2020 Dubai, which will further catalyse the economy.”

“As the UAE embarks on the journey ‘Towards the Next 50,’ we see the DSF’s sterling achievement as a springboard for even more success for the city and the nation. To celebrate this milestone, Emaar Malls will host a series of activations across its assets, including The Dubai Mall, which is today the world’s most visited retail and leisure destination. Visitors to The Dubai Mall stand to become DSF Skywards Millionaires with minimum spends, in addition to activities such as international street performers, exhibitions, and workshops that will delight all. We will continue to support strategic initiatives such as DSF that are central to the growth of Dubai’s retail sector.”

Pankaj Kumar, Head of OmniChannel Retail, Jumbo Electronics, said: “For 25 years, DSF gives that festive feeling attracting tourists from all over the world. Jumbo has been one of the key sponsors of DSF since its inception and it has always been a great time for us to interact with our customers and provide them with exciting offers and surprises. It has been an honour to be associated with DSF for 25 years and the festival has provided Jumbo Electronics as platform to continue providing innovative promotions, special prizes and value-added offers to our valued customers in the Emirate.”

“Our key promotion for this year’s DSF is ‘It’s Raining Gold @ Jumbo’ where we are giving away over 2.5kgs of gold through a raffle draw for shoppers at Jumbo. We are partnering with leading brands to give customers great bundle offers, special discounts on premium experiences and cashback rewards” he added.

Sally Yacoub, Chief Malls Officer at Meraas, said: “With our range of thrilling, family-friendly destinations and attractions, we always seek to elevate our customers’ experiences to new, exciting levels through a vibrant calendar of value-for-money activities in partnership with DFRE. As we move into 2020 with the 25th Dubai Shopping Festival, we’re putting on an array of world-class events and incentives to celebrate two landmark occasions with our visitors from around the world. We’re giving away AED1 million worth of Meraas gift cards to our visitors in a huge spend-and-win campaign running throughout the festival month.

“We’re also bringing the official Trolls mascots to the Middle East for the first time, along with Nickelodeon’s Spongebob Squarepants for family fun at City Walk, La Mer, The Beach, Kite Beach, The Outlet Village, Boxpark, Al Seef, Bluewaters and Last Exit.”

Peter England, RAKBANK’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “I am very excited that RAKBANK is at the core of the much anticipated and celebrated Dubai Shopping Festival’s (DSF) 25th edition for 2020! DSF is a time of year that everyone in the country looks forward to and it gives us great pride in being DFRE’s official partner, especially with a festival that amplifies people’s shopping experience. At RAKBANK, we are committed to offering our RAKBANK Mastercard cardholders a unique shopping experience where they access a superior retail experience during this DSF, including a 25% cashback when shopping. This exceptional promotion will be running for the duration of the DSF, starting on the 26th of December up until 1st of February. The 25th edition of DSF will definitely play a role in increasing the number of visitors to malls, on a grand scale.”

Iqbal Hamzah, Group CEO of National Food Products Company, said: “It’s an honour to be supporting the 25th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival as part of NFPC’s Strategic Partnership with Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and Dubai Festivals & Retail Establishment.  The event has become a highly valued annual festival and we are delighted to be providing our range of Water, Dairy, Beverages and Bakery products from our household name brands of Oasis Water, Lacnor, Gulf & Safa Dairy, Milco Dairy, Melco Juices and Royal Bakers.  These brands have nurtured the UAE population for 48 years, so aligning them with Dubai Shopping Festival, which also boasts a significant heritage, is very appropriate.”

For more information, please visit www.mydsf.ae or @DSFSocial and #MyDSF for the latest news, information and events.