lifestyle TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014 Features ‘Shop at Your Best’ at Dubai Shopping Festival 2014 By Nawara Fattahova culture including international shows, concerts, shopping promotions and mega raffles offering prizes worth millions of dirhams. This is a true manifestation of the whole month of shopping, special offers, and many entertaining events festival theme “Shop at your Best” that is bound to make DSF 2014 the most mem- await visitors to Dubai at the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2014 from orable edition yet since the shopping and entertainment extravaganza was Jan 2 to Feb 2, 2014. The festival is sparkling with over 150 attractions launched in 1996. Athemed “Shop at Your Best”. Monthly spending in Dubai is about 14 million dirhams by four million visitors. The 19th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival has exciting activities high- “About 25-30 percent of these visitors are international visitors, while the rest are lighting Dubai as an international family tourism destination that offers unique residents of the United Arab Emirates. More than 6,000 stores are participating in shopping experiences. More than 100 million dirhams’ worth of prizes are waiting the festival, all offering special discounts, and an inspection committee is control- for the lucky winners of various raffle draws in different locations including a Rolls- ling the stores to make sure the sales are real. The inspectors also check the raffle Royce, Lamborghini, 8 BMWs, Infinity, Nissan Patrol, 32 diamond rings, kilos of draws and the prizes given away. The annual growth of the festival is 5-10 percent,” gold and many others. Hakim added. The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Suhail lauded the excellent role played by the private sector, and expressed her Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has unveiled the calen- deep appreciation for the high level of support extended by the strategic partners dar of events for this year’s activities. The DSF 2014 calendar of events is a line-up of DFRE and the key sponsors of DSF 2014 to ensure that the festival yet again is a of over 150 events and activities that will be spread far and wide across the city at resounding success. key DSF destinations. “With the aim of ensuring that the whole of Dubai feels the “Studies have revealed that Dubai is well on course to achieving its tourism festival spirit, the organizers identified several key locations across Dubai and vision for 2020 of attracting 20 million tourists and 300 billion dirhams in tourism turned them into main DSF destinations. Areas such as Sheikh Mohammed bin revenues annually, of which a major share would come from retail sales. Retail pur- Rashid Boulevard, Al Seef Street, Al Rigga Street and The Walk - Jumeirah Beach chases by visitors is set to reach almost 33 billion dirhams by 2017, accounting for Residence will host events and activities aimed at ensuring that residents and visi- more than a quarter of total sales, which is expected to increase at 5.7 per cent tors in all nooks and corners of the city are able to participate and experience the annually over the period 2013-20 17,” explained Suhail. festivities,” said Laila Mohammed Suhail, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail The opening day kicked off on Thursday, Jan 2 on Al Seef Street with the carni- Establishment during a press conference held on the opening day of the DSF. val including roaming, stage and street performers, where about 1,000 artistes “With all eyes on Dubai post the Expo 2020 win, we are fully aware that we from international troupes performed to entertain spectators. This was followed have to rise up to the expectations as DSF 2014 is the first festival after the by spectacular fireworks. announcement. We have made extra efforts to make sure that DSF truly lives up to its reputation as a festival for all by identifying a number of additional and special areas of Dubai to host the numerous activities to enable maximum exposure and opportunities for visitors to experience the vibrancy of this extravaganza and also reap its benefits,” she added. Nasr Hakim, Media Center Manager, Marketing and Communications Laila Mohammed Suhail, Department, stated that this year’s DSF calendar of events features attractions in CEO, Dubai Festivals and diverse fields from shopping to entertainment, fashion to lifestyle, and arts and Retail Establishment. DSF 2014 calendar of events ichael Jackson The Immortal World Tour by done at lofty heights with the Burj Khalifa, the world’s live demonstration of the Bedouin customs and traditions Cirque du Soleil from 30 Dec - 14 Jan, at the tallest building, and The Dubai Mall offering the perfect including their ceremonies, food habits, houses livestock MDubai World Trade Centre. This captures the backdrops, The first of its kind event will feature trained etc. as DSF seeks to bring to modern Dubai a bit of the essence, soul and inspiration of the King of Pop through a dancers who will perform choreographed vertical acro- glorious past of the region’s hardy and ingenious desert riveting fusion of visuals, dance, music and fantasy. No batics. dwellers. stranger to the Middle East, Cirque du Soleil is a leading Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artis- DSF Music Nights Carpet and art oasis tic entertainment that has brought wonder and delight to 2, 9, 16 Jan, Burj Park 2 Jan - 2 Feb, Dubai Festival City more than 100 million spectators in more than 300 cities Enjoy some of the lilting melodies of Arabia, and get a Carpets have long been appreciated for their beauty. in over 40 countries on six continents. close glimpse of top Arabian entertainers, Make sure you That beauty is achieved through the choice of colors and do not miss the DSF Music Nights concerts that will fea- designs, as well as by the manipulation of designs and col- DSF Carnival ture some of the popular artistes and entertainers in the ors to form pleasing patterns. The Carpet & Art Oasis is an Weekends - Key DSF Destinations Arab world. Held at the Burj Park in collaboration with exhibition and sale of some of the rarest, largest, and most Celebrations and carnivals go hand in hand, and DSF Rotana, the shows feature Fares Karam and Hatem Al Iraqi unique carpets and rugs from around the world. Apart from 2014 will be remembered for its visual feasts thanks to a col- on 2 January, renowned singer Mohammed Abdo on 9 carpets and rugs from the well known carpet producing orful line-up of roaming, stage and street artistes getting January and Rabeh Saqer and Diana Haddad on 16 countries, works of art and handicrafts are also on display. together to perform at the DSF Carnival, which will be the January. Amazing and beautiful handmade Persian carpet worth biggest carnival in the history of DSF. Performers in funny, USD 2 millions is present in this place. Four people worked freak and fashionable attire, musicians, dancers, acrobats 24 Jan, Zabeel Park on this carpet for 11 years to come with this great carpet. performing antics, gymnasts, clowns, stilt walkers, inflatable Renowned Egyptian singer Mohamed Mounir, whose Other precious and unique carpets are available there. and animal characters will be performing in key DSF musical career spans three decades, and Lebanese super- Destinations like the Al Seef Street, Sheikh Mohammed bin star Nancy Ajram will take the stage at Zabeel Park to pro- Fashion events Rashid Boulevard, Jumeirah Street, Al Riqqa Street and duce one of the most magical music nights for their fans Market outside the box Global Village. The performers will showcase a variety of arts in Dubai. 23 Jan -2 Feb Bun Park, Downtown Dubai and skills from different continents and regions such as the Dubai’s newest pop-up fashion and lifestyle festival Pele Pele dance group from Swaziland, the Mexico Tierra Bedouin lifestyle brings an alternative shopping experience in a city always Mestiza troupe, labia players from India, and even character 2 Jan -2 Feb, Al Seef Street buzzing with excitement. Creating a new market concept parades such as the Mobile App Stores. DSF visitors will be able to savour the classic atmos- incorporating recycled elements, it will have a mix of local phere of a bygone era at the Bedouin Lifestyle event. It is funky labels and global brands existing side by side, cafÈs, Vertical Fashion show a unique festival where the lifestyle of Bedouins will be food kiosks and continuous entertainment in an outdoor 20 Jan, Burj Khalifa brought alive by nomads from different countries as they setting. It will be the first market that caters to non-mass- The attention grabbing Vertical Fashion Show will be showcase their traditional way of living. Visitors will get a produced sustainable fashion and lifestyle brands where.