Dubai Festivals

Dubai during the shopping festival (March 1 to 31) is a splash of colours, some 30 million bulbs illuminating its streets and bylanes in electronic patterns. As you enter the spectacular fairyland, clowns direct you to your destinations and you are drowned by offers of free gifts and raffle tickets. Genuine goods and good shows await you. Dubai charges no duty, no tax: Goods are cheaper by 25 % to 50 % than in their country of origin.

The annual festival has put Dubai, the commercial hub of the United Arab Emirates, on the world map. There was a whopping traffic of 2.5 million visitors to the event last year. The sales were to the tune of a staggering Dhs. 4.3 billion.

The festival means many things to many people. Apart from its 2,500 outlets of goods and services ranging from haute couture and perfumes to electronics and jewellery, it offers a raffle prize of two Luxus cars and Dhs. 100,000 (Rs 12,50,000) as scholarship for schoolchildren. There is daily draw. A third one, Win-the-World, means a daily prize of business class air tickets for two adults and two children to various destinations.

There are also other 400 events like cartoon shows featuring Pokemon, Casper, Tarzan, Toon Land, Alligator and Dolphin, Fashion Week, Global Village, Carpet Oasis, Al Rostamani Aqua Fantasia and sporting events. The sporting events include the $ 12 million Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race at Nad Al Sheba, Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Course and the Dubai Tennis Open.

There are also Children of the World Olympiad, Open Tennis Championship, Hockey on Synthetic Surface, Ice Hockey, Football Tournament, Russian Ballet on Ice and Rowing Championships.

At Al Seef Street's Youth Sports Oasis, sports lovers can take part in skating activities. Professionals from Russia and Germany conduct training sessions in skating.

A major attraction of the festival is the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire Draw which gives away a prize of $ 1 million! There is also a raffle of 1 kg of gold every day of the month. This year, the jewellers offer another 5,000 prizes of gold. Shoppers get the raffle coupons from the jewellery shops. There are facilities for visitors' accommodation. Over 18,000 rooms and 6,500 furnished family apartments are available.

There will be business conventions, seminars, exhibitions, book fairs, Hope Opera for the Handicapped, closing ceremonies, and many more.

The festival theme is One World, One Family, One Festival. It's worth a visit.