Al Seef Street
This creek-side boulevard will be abuzz with a myriad of activities including floating restaurants, roaming acrobats and cultural performers, children’s play areas, kiosks selling food and an eclectic selection of merchandise.
Big Boys Toys
The three-day luxury and lifestyle exhibition that will kick off on January 31 at the Atlantis Hotel will showcase an amazing collection of ‘never seen before’ products. A VIP ticket (Dh500) entitles the buyer to enter a raffle for a chance to win Dh1 million in cash. A club royale ticket (Dh3,700) entitles one to a VIP ticket plus a host of other benefits. 055-776 6998
Carpet Oasis
Nearly 50 companies will exhibit exclusive carpets from around the world including Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and India. Where: Dubai World Trade Centre. When: until January 14.
Downtown Dubai
A new addition to the DSF venues, the spectacular skyline of the area will be the ideal backdrop for a collection of events and activities with their accent on fashion and style, such as Creations, Biggest Sampling/Makeover and a midnight fashion show. Finally, fashion will reach dizzying heights at the Highest Catwalk, at At the Top, Burj Khalifa.
Eplus
Visit ePLus - http://eplus.panasonic.ae - Panasonic’s online shopping portal to avail of a range of fantastic DSF 2013 deals, while offering you a convenient shopping experience. Find what you want when you want it from the comfort of your own home. The offers are also valid exclusively at Panasonic, Al Futtaim Panatech showrooms (AFP) across UAE. For purchases above Dh499, customers stand a chance to win a Scratch Card with guaranteed gifts, plus a Gold Coin raffle coupon, and a Panasonic Smart Home raffle coupon.
Fireworks
Don’t miss out on the spectacular firework displays at Dubai Creek, Al Seef Street and Festival Promenade in Dubai Festival City as apart of the 2013 Dubai Shopping Festival opening ceremony. Timings: Dubai Creek, 7pm; Al Seef Street, 8pm; Festival Promenade, Dubai Festival City, 8pm.
Gold
Gold worth Dh4.5 million can be won through raffle draws announced by the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group. We are talking about 21 kilos of gold. Also two weekly winners will have the chance to each win 100 grams of 24 carat gold bar when shopping for Dh200 at Arabian Centre.
Heritage Village
The Heritage and Diving Village is a little piece of Dubai frozen in time that depicts the way life functioned in the emirate in the hoary past. The Village will be a beehive of activity with stalls of Emirati food and artefacts, and exhibits about the pearling and seafaring traditions of the UAE.
Infiniti Mega Raffle
Every day, one lucky winner will drive away with an Infiniti JX 35 and an Infiniti G25 plus Dh100,000 in cash. Raffle tickets (Dh200) are available at select Eppco and Enoc stations, kiosks, shopping malls and the Global Village. There will be 32 winners –are you going to be one of them?
JUGGLERS
Get ready to capture the moment when you find jugglers everywhere you go. They’re a regular feature at the street carnival (Al Seef street) and at all participating malls. Along with musicians, unicyclists, stilt walkers, etc – jugglers go around in a celebratory display of their unique talent.
Kavi Sammelan and Mushaira
The Kavi Sammelan and Mushaira is a gathering of renowned poets from all across the Indian sub-continent and resident poets in the UAE. The poetry evening relives a literary tradition spanning many centuries and is a much-awaited occasion in the Hindi literary circles in UAE. When: January 31. Where: Shaikh Rashid Auditorium. 050-650 6811
Laugh out loud
Don’t miss the first edition of the Dubai International Comedy Carnival as the best comedy talents from the UAE, the region and beyond congregate at Dubai Festival City to present stand-up shows along with dancing and singing competitions at the first ever Comedy Carnival. While some shows are free, others are ticketed (Dh175, Dh250).
Mercato beckons
The Italian themed mall is hosting a variety of European themed entertainment including stage shows and roaming acts as part of its ‘Around Europe in 32 days’ promotion. Also shoppers with Dh200 spend stand a chance to win a brand new Toyota RAV4.
Nissan Grand Raffle
For 31 days starting January 4, a winner will drive away with one of 12 top models from the Nissan fleet of cars and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) such as the Armada, Pathfinder, Murano, Patrol, Juke, Xterra and Qashqai, as well as luxury sedans such as the Maxima and Altima. Customers are entitled to a raffle coupon for every Dh20 spent at the convenience stores attached to Enoc and Eppco stations in Dubai starting from January 3, or they can get a coupon for every Dh200 spent at a participating retail outlet.
Opening ceremony
Witness the grand opening ceremony of the 18th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival, under the slogan “Dubai at its best”, at Dubai Creek Park. The ceremony begins at 5.45pm. Be there.
Property boom
Damac Properties is giving away luxury Audi’s with properties bought during the DSF. Clients who purchase the Penthouse suite at Burjside Boulevard (pictured), or the signature collection at Ocean Heights, will receive the 2014 Audi R8. Burjside Boulevard is a luxury, 50-storey tower in the Burj Area which will complete later this year and Ocean Heights is a signature project in Dubai Marina.
Quirky time
Mall of the Emirates will host a circus which will perform three, 20-minute shows per day from Tuesday through Saturday at 3pm, 5pm and 8.30pm in the Central Galleria. The exciting shows include New Years, Modern Circus, Classic Circus and Contemporaneous.
Rahbani Productions
The renowned Rahbani theatre family of Lebanon is bringing the highly acclaimed Arabic play “A Ard El Ghajar” (Land of the Gypsies) to Dubai. It will be staged from January 10 to 12 at Burj Park. Tickets: Dh200 onwards at Virgin Megastore.
Slash to rock Dubai
The legendary lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, with lead singer Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators will perform on January 31 at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, as part of the closing weekend of Dubai Shopping Festival 2013. Tickets: Dh500, Dh300
Thai pavilion
The Thailand’s pavilion opened just last week at the Global Village bringing with it a miniature model of bustling Bangkok. We are talking about heaps of glittering accessories, bands, T-shirts, children’s clothes and shoes, as well as cosmetics. The food court is a must-try, be it Tom Yum or Thai Crispy Prawns, there is a vast selection of delicacies that portray the real taste of Thailand.
Unbeatable offers
With more than 7,000 retail outlets expected to participate in DSF 2013, the festival looks set to live up to its promise of offering “Dubai at its Best”. Get ready to avail of all kinds of bargains; from buy-one-get-one-free to 25-75 per cent discounts on a range of merchandise. It’s the time to splurge.
Vroom vroom
The Dubai Autodrome will host the eigth edition of the Dunlop Tires 24H of Dubai on January 11-12. More than 80 teams from around the world will compete against one another in this highly anticipated international motorsport event for GTs, touring cars and 24H specials. The actual race will start on Friday at 2pm and will end, as scheduled, 24 hours later.
www.dubaievents.ae
Log on the official website of the Dubai Shopping Festival to bring yourself up to date with all the leisure activities, venues, promotions, fun fairs, and international shows planned throughout the month – such as Star Oasis, Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Omar Khairat, Dubai International Comedy Carnival and Shaam e Ghazal Live in Dubai.
XPRESS
Don’t forget to pick up your copy of XPRESS every Thursday from designated kiosks across the city to read up on detailed coverage of the shopping festival. We’ll keep you up to date with all the latest happenings, events and entertainment.
Yemeni treasures
The Yemeni pavilion at the Global is showcasing garnet and amber rosaries (known as the treasures of the earth). They are priced at Dh370 per gram, with a full rosary with 33 beads going up to Dh20,000. Don’t miss the honeycomb and honey with drops of the queen bee jelly. A small bottle of the mix with the best types of rare honey can go up to Dh1,500.
Zulu trinkets
Check out the trinkets from the Zulu land – and many more cultural treats at the South African pavilion at the Global Village, including the beautiful beaded crafts from the native warrior Zulu tribesmen.
