SHOP TILL YOU DROP AT THE 25^th EDITION OF THE DUBAI SHOPPING FESTIVAL

The countdown to one of the world’s largest shopping festivals has officially begun and as the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) prepares to launch the landmark 25^th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), the entire city is uniting together to create its most memorable edition yet. The world-famous festival will open on Thursday, 26 December 2019 and run until Saturday, 1 February 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 per cent off across the city, as well as the opportunity to engage and collaborate with tailor-made brand activations from global fashion, beauty, homeware and lifestyle retailers.

Here’s what to look out for:

OPENING CEREMONY

Dubai Shopping Festival will kick off its 25^th edition in its own inimitable style, with a spectacular two-day grand opening ceremony at Burj Park, Downtown Dubai. The star-studded event will feature a series of concerts by Emirati and international singers, cultural and family-oriented performances on 26 and 27 December. Additionally, a ‘lights on’ event will countdown to when the city’s lights are officially turned on with fireworks adding colour and sparkle to Dubai’s famous skyline.

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, combining the heritage of Dubai with innovative retail experiences and entertainment for all. Last Exit Al Khawaneeji Market will officially open on 26 December where visitors will be able to enjoy a plethora of attractions including a custom ice rink, a snowman building zone and a dedicated snow fight pit. Al Rigga Market will also kick off on 26 December which will be transformed to the original DSF Market 25 years ago; bringing everyone in Dubai a touch of nostalgia. From African dancing, flash mobs and talent contests, there will something for everyone to enjoy. Finally, the Hatta Market located in the heart of Hatta will officially open on 26 December offering guests a traditional outdoor souk experience with cultural games and experiences. There will also be an outdoor cinema showcasing classic blockbusters for the whole family to enjoy.

SHOPPING & PROMOTIONS

Shoppers across Dubai’s malls will enjoy offers between 25 per cent to 75 per cent off on international fashion, beauty, home and lifestyle brands.

• 12 Hour Sale: In a welcome tradition, DSF will kick off in style with an exclusive 12 Hour Sale at Majid Al Futtaim Malls, giving customers up to 90 per cent 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. Running from midday to midnight on 26 December, this year will see 25 winners take home AED 10,000 vouchers to be spent at MAF malls.

 

• Souk Heritage: Inspired by the bustling souks of the UAE, the Souk Heritage concept will become the cultural hub of DSF, with a traditional style market alongside 1.8km of the Dubai Creek in Al Seef allowing visitors to experience different cultures, enjoy shopping, dining, art and entertainment from around the world.

 

• Market Outside the Box (MOTB):  MOTB reinvents itself as the ultimate hangout this 25^th edition of DSF. Running from 16 January 2020 to 1 February 2020, MOTB is a live showcase of the hottest up-and-coming local, regional and international musicians and bands, as well as fashion and food vendors. Additionally, an enclosed experiential Game Zone taking up to 24 gamers, and a dedicated Kids Zone will make hearts race with adrenaline and keep visitors coming back for more.

 

EVENTS & EXPERIENCES

• Headline Concerts: Global superstars from around the world will descend upon Dubai throughout DSF to appeal to every taste and musical preference. The Coca-Cola Arena in City Walk will host Pakistani sensation Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on 27 December, while British pop star Ellie Goulding will take to the Arena’s stage on 10 January.

• Dubai’s first Hologram Concert: 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, as well as the special performance of Sana’a Nabil, the granddaughter of Umm Kulthum. Taking place on 26 and 27 December at the Dubai Opera Grand Theatre, this is a performance simply not to be missed.

• City Lights Installations: Art and technology will come together to create astounding interactive light installations at Burj Plaza.  Music, mirrors and colourful lights will combine to deliver the most ‘instagrammable’ moments in a unique festival vibe.

• Daily Fireworks: A beloved DSF tradition, there is something in the air throughout the festival as world-class fireworks 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.

 

• DSF Dine-In Specials: In celebration of the 25^th edition and powered by the online food app Zomato, DSF will include more than 1,000 restaurants providing discounts starting from 25 per cent for in-dining experiences to be used when signing up with the Zomato Gold membership programme, which will also provide a 25 per cent reduction in membership fees.

 

RAFFLES & PRIZES

• DSF 25 SHARE Millionaires: In collaboration with strategic partner Majid Al Futtaim Malls, DSF presents an exciting promotion with their new SHAREE app giving consumers 25 million reasons to shop.  Shop at Majid Al Futtaim Malls for a chance to enter into the draw to become one of the 25 DSF SHARE Millionaires where each winner receives 1,000,000 SHARE points.

• DSF Skywards Millionaire: In collaboration with strategic partner The Dubai Mall, DSF has introduced a new promotion with the Emirates Airlines Skywards programme. On a certain spend at any of The Dubai Mall stores, shoppers can enter into a draw to become one of 5 DSF Millionaires in Skywards Miles, with each winner receiving 1,000,000 Skywards Miles.

• DSF 25 Home Makeovers: In collaboration with Home Center, one of Dubai’s leading home furnishing brands, DSF has created a promotion where shoppers have the chance to become one of 25 winners of a stylish home makeover through a lucky draw.

• DSF x 1000: Shoppers spending AED 100 at any participating outlet in Meraas’ destinations: City Walk, La Mer, Al Seef, The Beach, Box Park, Bluewaters and The Outlet Village will receive a raffle coupon to get a chance of being selected as one of 25 daily winners of an AED 1,000 gift card. One thousand winners will be selected, with AED 1 million worth of prizes to be awarded.

• INFINITI Mega Raffle: This year, the INFINITI Mega raffle is offering DSF visitors the chance to drive away in an INFINITI QX50 car plus AED 200,000 in cash every single day of DSF. To enter, simply buy a raffle ticket for AED 200 for the chance to win the daily prize. In addition, one lucky DSF shopper will go home with a grand prize of AED 1 million in cash at the end of DSF. Tickets can be purchased from Enoc and Epco petrol stations, Dubai Metro stations and Global Village.

• Nissan Grand Raffle: The Nissan Grand raffle will offer DSF shoppers the chance to win one of five Nissan models – Nissan Patrol 2020, Nissan Pathfinder 2019, Nissan X-TRAIL 2020, Nissan Kicks 2020 and Nissan Sentra 2020 – simply by purchasing items worth a minimum of AED 25 from any EPCO or ENOC station. In total, 33 cars will be given away during DSF!

 

 

Organized by Women Entrepreneurs Development Council and
co-organized by SME Chambers of India

 Women Entrepreneurs Development Council, India’s leading organization integrating Women Entrepreneurs from various fields for development and enhancement of business network and growth, chaired by Advocate Mrs. Rubina Akhtar Hasan Rizvi; recently organized “Women Entrepreneurs Summit, 2019” along with Mr. Chandrakant Salunkhe, Founder & President of SME Chamber of India at Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai. The theme of the summit was ‘Strategy & Initiatives for Strengthening Women Entrepreneurs’.

The summit was led by Advocate Mrs. Rubina Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, Chairperson – Women Entrepreneurs Development Council, Director – Rizvi Education Society & Rizvi Builders & Founder – Help yourself Foundation. After the welcome address by Mrs. Rizvi, Mr. Chandrakant Salunkhe, Founder & President- SME Chamber of India & Maharashtra Industrial and Economic Development Association & Founder – Women Entrepreneurs Development Council introduced the event and the theme of the summit.

Being the Chairperson of Women Entrepreneurs Development Council, Director – Rizvi Education Society, Mrs. Rubina Akhtar Hasan Rizvi  hosted the summit, in the support of SME Chamber of India. Mrs. Rizvi said, “It’s great to meet such young and enthusiastic women entrepreneurs. Few had very good international network while others are doing great nationally and in rural India. We try to create opportunities for aspiring and growing women entrepreneurs where they can connect to likeminded people and share their thoughts, helping each other grow more.”

“We always talk about the problems faced by the women in rural areas like, the problem of reservation, nutrition, education, poverty and many more such problems. But, people fail to understand that there is a rural pocket in urban India too, that resides in the slums of urban areas. The problems of the women residing in the rural pocket of urban areas are no less severe. The Women Entrepreneurs Development Council constantly works to uplift such women and helps them grow. Being the Director – Rizvi Education Society, I have also started an entrepreneurs cell in Rizvi College of Arts, Science and Commerce to guide the students who want to do great things in life.”, Mrs. Rizvi added.

Key Speakers at the Women Entrepreneurs Summit, 2019 were Shri Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Joint Commissioner, Mumbai Police, Mrs. Rajashri Patil – Chairperson, Godavari Urban Multistate Credit Co-op. Soc. Ltd., Ms. Rachana Bhusari Kakkar – Vice President – National Stock Exchange of India Ltd., Ms. Samiksha Naik – Managing Director, Samswek Global Events & Exhibitions, Dubai, Ms. Manisha Bhati – Founder & CEO, Dream Hunt India. The Panel Discussion on Women Entrepreneurs: Passion, Purpose and Persistence was moderated by Ms. Tejaswini Pisal – Founder & Director,  Zest Transformation. The panelists is the discussion were, Ms. Khushnuma Khan – Advocate & Solicitor, K K Associates, Dr. (Mrs.) Rukmani Krishnamurthy – Chairperson and CEO, Helik Advisory Ltd. Mumbai., Ms. Mansi Thakkar – Director, Mansi Thakkar Training System LLP & Founder, Real Game Changer, Ms. Rajee Bhattacharyya – Partner – Strategy and Business Alliances, Percipere, Ms. Namrata Tanna – Founder – Cooked by Moms, Ms. Manisha Thakur Talekar – Founder – Onfees.com

The panel discussion was followed by Q&A session and closing remark by Ms. Saakshi Kulkarni – Executive Director – Women Entrepreneurs Council Director – SME Chamber of India. The summit was attended by more than 80 women entrepreneurs.

About Advocate Mrs. Rubina Akhtar Hasan Rizvi:
Mrs. Rubina Akhtar Hasan Rizvi is the Director – Rizvi Education Society & Rizvi Builders, Chairperson – Women Entrepreneurs Development Council and Founder – Help yourself Foundation. Rubina Akhtar Hasan Rizvi is an Indian Criminal lawyer associated with the Chief Public Prosecutor, Mumbai High Court. She is also a lifetime member of IFS. She is the Director of Rizvi Builders and Rizvi Education Society. Rizvi Education Society is a Public Charitable Trust established under the Societies Act,1950 and registered under the provision of the Bombay Public Act, 1950 and has 29 Educational Institutes in Mumbai and Allahabad. The main objective of the society is always being promoting education at all levels. Help Yourself Foundation is a noncommercial entity that works in areas of Cancer awareness, Women and Child Empowerment Child Safety, Legal Aid to Women and Menstrual Health Campaign. She is also enrolled with Bar Council and is also a member of Bar Association.

A recipient of numerous awards in the field of education like Women Achiever Award 2018, for contributing and developing High Quality Educational Institution, Indian Education Award, 2018 for  India’s Most Eminent Women Educationist and Entrepreneur. Very recently been conferred as “The Pride of Maharashtra” Award and was awarded “The Shiksha Gaurav Puraskar”. She has also been awarded the Women Achiever 2018.

Ace  designer Payal Singhal collaborated with India’s premium wallpaper brand Marshalls and panned out her own signature collection #PSPrints This exquisite collection is Payal’s first venture into interiors and décor segment, and the collaboration with an established brand like Marshalls has produced a well curetted range of artsy wall coverings.

Speaking of grandiosity and luxuriance, the wall coverings alleviate the comprehensive aura of the enclosure. The all-embracing wall coverings blend in perfectly with the utility aspect of the rooms, hence forming an everlasting impression on the patrons. In addition to being prudent, the wall coverings add warmth, depth and style to the living spaces. These beautiful designs, intriguing textures and prints have an enchanting effect on the décor of the rooms. Heavily inspired by classical Indian murals, the Payal Singhal Collection with its flamboyant designs and appealing patterns are fuel for the soul. Recreating the peacock motif which is a symbol of pride and beauty, in an abstract form influenced by Persian art, it has been stripped off color to create an ethereal impression. With its bewitching complexity, they exude a sense of comfort and paradox, whilst being artsy and paradigmatic.

These stippled wall covering, having vernacular variations not only exhibit spectacular aesthetics but are durable & practical, offering a 1-year warranty and quick installation service by network of service provider’s PAN India. The comprehensive wallpapers look after the modern-day home pundits with a flamboyant sense of design. The capsule collection comprises eight different designs in 3-4 color-way options each

Arabic Jannat

 

The majestic peacock, a symbol of pride and beauty has been the cynosure of this Persian art influenced
wallpaper. Stripped off color, it creates an ethereal impact and leaves the viewers awestruck.

Arabic Khargosh

Persian art meets geometrical symmetry in this hunting inspired monochrome design that marries old
world charm with modernity. Washable, color- fast, fire-retardant and thermally insulated these
wallpapers render an obvious choice for any contemporary work, retail or living space.

Beige Poppy Love

The mughals had a penchant for symmetrically aligned gardens, which has been captured in the design.
The mix of spring and fall colors makes it a print fit for every season.

Botanical garden

Medieval-gothic European architecture combined with traditional folk art championed by the mughals
defines the spirit of this nature inspired design. These coming off age wall coverings, embrace the
traditional aspect with a hint of modernity.

ANAAR MOR

The hand-painted palace walls of Jaipur have been captured in this timeless design that is heavy on old
world nostalgia justlike a blushing bride draped in pink, dancing in our dreams while the peacocks sing.

SPRING FLING

A portrayal of fresh flora in pop colors frolicking with ferns in the wind during spring, a vision straight
out of the pinjore gardens of the great mughal area. Intricately designed, each print is a product borne
out of extensive research that jives well with a classic aesthetic and avant-garde vibe.

ART DECO

Floral elements from mughal art come together with art deco influences to exude the subdued glam of
the Roaring Twenties, reminiscent of boudoirs of yore.

CHIDIYA

This modern take on the chintz balances traditional chintz colors with modern English tones, resulting in
a playful floral design.

Payal Singhal has lended her unorthodox visual dialect to wallcoverings for Marshalls, in tandem with
the old and the new. Her aesthetics reflect aptly in the collection and are hugely inspired from the
fusion of east and the west.
Available at: All Marshalls exclusive retail stores and prominent home décor stores across India
Link to the website – marshallsindia.com
Price range starting at Rs 180 per sq. ft. (exclusive of all taxes)

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