Revealed: what's in store at the 25th Dubai Shopping Festival

The countdown to one of the world’s largest shopping festivals has officially begun, with a calendar of events revealed for the 25th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).

The festival will open on Thursday December 26 and run until Saturday February 1, 2020, featuring 38 days packed with showstopping performances, immersive experiences, innovative brand activations and family-friendly celebrations.

With more than 1,000 brands participating across close to 4,000 outlets, shoppers and deal-hunters will find offers of up to 75 percent off across the city, a statement said.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) said: “As Dubai has evolved in the last 25 years, so too has DSF, and as we unveil our milestone DSF 2020 it highlights and affirms the festival’s greatest edition yet.”

Dubai Shopping Festival will kick off its 25th edition with an opening ceremony at Burj Park, Downtown Dubai featuring a series of concerts by Emirati and international singers, cultural and family-oriented performances from 2pm to 11pm on December 26-27.

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Superstars from around the world will descend upon Dubai throughout DSF with the Coca-Cola Arena in City Walk hosting Pakistani sensation Rahat Ali Khan and British pop star Ellie Goulding while the outdoor Dubai Media City Amphitheatre will welcome Egyptian superstar Amr Diab.

Manchester United and England football legend, Rio Ferdinand will present a live, unscripted interview at W Dubai – The Palm on  January 8 while the first ever hologram concert in the city will debut this DSF, featuring a hologram of Umm Kulthum accompanied by a live orchestra of 20 musicians on stage at the Dubai Opera Grand Theatre.

Yalla DSF, an interactive mobile game to engage with visitors and residents, available in English, Arabic, Mandarin and Russian, will also be launched.

In collaboration with Apparel Group as the exclusive retail partner, the game will give players a chance to win exclusive prizes that are instantly redeemable.

Art and technology will also come together to create interactive light installations at Burj Plaza from January 7 to February 1, 2020. Music, mirrors and colourful lights will combine to deliver the most ‘instagrammable’ moments in a unique festival vibe.

A DSF tradition, firework displays will splash the skies with colour and light every night at The Beach, Al Seef, La Mer, Dubai Festival City, Dubai Creek, The Pointe and The Dubai Frame.

In celebration of the 25th edition, and powered by the online food app Zomato, DSF will also include more than 1,000 restaurants providing discounts starting from 25 percent.

DSF will kick off in style with an exclusive 12 Hour Sale at Majid Al Futtaim Malls, giving customers up to 90 percent off at Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira, City Centre Me‘aisem, My City Centre Barsha and City Centre Al Shindagha.

New to DSF this edition and created in tribute to the festival’s inaugural year, a series of pop-up markets will appear across the city in Last Exit, Al Khawaneej, Al Rigga Street and City Walk 2.

Raffles and prizes on offer this year include the chance to enter the draw to become one of 25 winners of a stylish home makeover and the chance to drive away in an Infiniti QX50 car plus AED200,000 in cash every single day while the Nissan Grand raffle will offer DSF shoppers the chance to win one of five Nissan models.

The 25th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival is supported by strategic partners including Emirates Airline, Emaar Malls, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Meraas, Nakheel, Mercato, Al Futtaim, AW Rostamani Group, Dubai Duty-Free, Enoc and Etisalat with key partners including RAK Bank and Jumbo Electronics.