What is DSF?
The Dubai Shopping Festival, or the DSF, as it is commonly referred to; is a month long shopping fest held in Dubai. Other than a haven for mall crawlers eyeing mega discounts, it doubles up as a family holiday with events and activities for children and food fests for the gastronomically inclined. It has become one of Dubai’s biggest tourist attractions, given that the itinerary for the month is dotted with unbeatable deals, fashion shows, celebrity performances, street plays, comedy shows, events for all age groups, epic firework displays, music concerts and even a film festival or two thrown in.
When is it held?
The Dubai Shopping Festival has been held annually since 1996 and this year’s extravaganza begins on the 26th of December 2016 and takes you for a roller coaster ride all the way to the 28th of January, 2017.
Where is it held?
The Dubai Shopping Festival is held in Dubai at various venues across the city.
Why should you visit DSF?
You should visit the Dubai Shopping Festival if you are one or more of the following – a shopaholic, someone who enjoys a good bargain, a gourmet who likes to indulge the palette, a fashionista who needs to fill up those ever empty closets, a parent who wants to make their children experience a slice of kiddie fantasy, or just a family that wants to have a blast! There are also these daily raffle draws where you get to win prizes which range from cash to cars! Now that is reason enough to book your ticket to the golden city of Dubai.
Do I need a visa to travel to Dubai?
Yes, Indians require a visa to visit Dubai; but with the extremely flexible visa options and regulations, getting a Dubai visa is quite a breeze.
What is the best flight price to Dubai?
The earlier you book your flights to Dubai, the cheaper they will be. Let Skyscanner help you out with its useful tool – the ‘Whole month’ feature.
Imagining yourself at the DSF? Here is a sure shot way to score cheap flights. Skyscanner’s ‘Whole Month’ search feature helps you zero in on the cheapest travel dates to Dubai. As long as your itinerary is flexible, this superb tool will make sure that you bag the cheapest flights for your next trip. Please read how to use our ‘Whole Month’ feature.
Find flights to Dubai in December
Once you are in this unstoppable retail haven, hit the malls and score the best deals on everything under the sun – from electronics to designer wear – it is all up for grabs! Schedule a visit to the gold souk; even if procuring the precious metal is not provided for in your shopping budget – in Dubai, all that glitters is actually gold. Another interesting souk to spend time in and definitely shop at is the spice souk. Look beyond your wardrobe and stock up those kitchen cabinets as well!
Things to do in Dubai during your shopping breaks
The DSF is a consuming event in itself, but if you do get the time to explore this city of wondrous excesses, here is a list of some of the places you can visit.
1. Greenery in a desert
Take a break from your shopping marathons at any of Dubai’s exotically done up local parks. These astonishingly green spaces are spread all over Dubai, one of the most spectacular parks being Miracle Garden. This wonderland of blooms has millions of flowers; all cultivated in beautiful displays, making you forget that you are actually in a desert.
2. Dubai Fountains
Free entertainment anyone? For a top class music and light show, head to the Dubai Fountains. A daily affair, these massive fountains light up and dance to music every evening right outside the Dubai Mall. The area is conveniently lined with eateries and restaurants so you can plan an entire evening resting your mall-worn feet perched on a terrace seat admiring the view.
3. Bring in the New Year around the Burj Khalifa
In case you plan your trip to Dubai over the New Year, know that Dubai is one of the top places in the world to spend your New Year’s Eve at. Official New Year’s Eve celebrations in Dubai are spread across the city, and one of the top spots is the Burj Khalifa – which is also the centre of a spectacular fireworks show. Another way to enjoy the tallest structure in the world is to get on to one of its super fast lifts that take you to observation decks on the 124th and 148th floors. Get breathtaking views of the city from these record-breaking heights.
4. Get a selfie with the Burj Al Arab
The iconic Burj Al Arab, the only ‘7-star hotel in the world’, is to Dubai what the Statue of Liberty is to the United States. This symbol of Dubai, designed to look like the sail of a ship, is a favourite with shutterbugs. Most tourists are content with a selfie with the much-photographed building simply because the Burj is inaccessible in more ways than one – it is a prohibitively expensive property built on reclaimed land, and can be reached only by a private road or by helicopter!
5. Desert Safari
If you have had enough of glitter in the malls and souks, head to the desert for a complete contrast to life in the city of bling. Experience life in a Bedouin camp – book a desert safari in which you get to navigate a sea of sand dunes on a 4×4 vehicle, hop on to a camel for a stroll around the desert or get a taste of traditional meals, and entertainment – read belly dancing!
6. Splash away!
Though located in a desert, Dubai is well known for its water parks. Home to some of the best entertainment parks in the world, a visit is a treat for the whole family. Record breaking and gravity defying rides dot parks like the Aquaventure and the Wild Wadi Water Park.
7. Dubai Creek
If you are interested to know the origins of this city of sky scrapers that never seems to stop growing vertically, then hop onto an abra on Dubai Creek. The ride between Deira and Bur Dubai will take you to Dubai from a century ago – to the historical centre of Dubai, where trade with the rest of the world began. More history for you? Visit the Heritage Village and the Dubai Museum at Al-Fahidi Fort. For local flavour, get into the spice and gold souks, stop by for street shows and peep into dhows to check out what sailors are ferrying. If the malls are beckoning and you find yourself short of time, you could do all of this on a cruise or a much quicker cable ride.
8. Mall breaks
Still have energy after negotiating the more than 1,000 retail outlets of the largest mall in the world? There are more things to do! Non-shopping activities while at Dubai Mall include fun stuff like the Dubai Aquarium, children’s theme parks and the Dubai Ice Rink.The Mall of the Emirates is where most retail fantasies come true. And then some more – like a ski slope in a desert! If you haven’t been wowed enough by the goodies that this mall has on offer, you can actually get suited up, hire skis and zoom down the slopes of a snow mountain.
9. Admire Dubai Marina
Another man made wonder in Dubai, the Dubai Marina is an artificial canal city – an entire district of it. Expect dizzying skyscrapers, beautiful residential apartments, kilometres of walkways, greenery like in the tropics, and food and shopping options. A great way to appreciate man’s effort is by hopping onto a ferry, going out to sea and checking out the buildings with their iconic gates and facades from a distance.
10. More man-made wonders!
Any visit to Dubai is incomplete without a visit to what is easily one of the most creative – and expensive – of Dubai’s constructions. This is a collection of islands made of reclaimed land just off the shore. And it is not just plain old reclaimed land; it is entire settlements on pieces of land shaped like a palm leaf, the map of the world, and even on a line of poetry! Hire a boat – cruise the Gulf on a motor boat, speed boat or yacht.
