Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is a cultural, retail, and entertainment festival that takes place every year-end. It is conducted by the Dubai Economy and Tourism Department to promote tourism and boost visitation and sales.
The 31st edition of DSF 2025 will be a grand event held across the emirate for 38 days! Dubai Shopping Festival dates are from 5th December 2025 to 11th January 2026! This month-long program is going to be a blast for its visitors.
Note that there are multiple venues and dates for various kinds of events. The main Instagram account that updates every announcement of DSF is DubaiFestivals.
DSF 2025-2026 Events & Programs
Dubai Shopping Festival is much more than just a retail sale; it’s a full-fledged cultural and entertainment mega-festival, created to keep the guests entertained.
Shopping
Before diving into the other events, let’s focus on the main part – shopping!
Trust me, if you are a shopper, you definitely need to attend this once-a-year event. For 38 days, retail shops across Dubai will have insane discounts. Not just 10% or 15%; I’m talking about massive discounts of 75-90%.
Of course, 90% off won’t be applied everywhere. But you’re guaranteed a discount! And the best part? You get to buy quality items and nothing faulty.
Items such as clothes, jewellery, gold, electronics, accessories, and more can be bought in this festive season.
Note: The gold price in Dubai as of 1st Dec, 2025, is AED 4,668 per 10 g.
The gold price in the Dubai Shopping Festival might have some discounts.
Where to find the shops with discounts?
DSF isn’t just limited to an arena but throughout the city! There are a bunch of malls from which you can buy discounted items.
Some of the popular malls
- Dubai Festival City Mall
- Mall of the Emirates
- Global Village
- Dubai Festival City Mall
- The Outlet Village
- Ibn Battuta Mall
- Dubai Mall
- Gold Souks
- Meena Bazar
- Mercato Mall
Concerts
Entertainment is such a huge part of this entire festival. Artists from all over the world come to Dubai to make this festival a success. The 2025 Dubai Shopping Festival will have a musical concert every weekend!
2025 Dubai Shopping Festival Concert Calendar
There are 10+ artists and four venues across Dubai. There are different types of genres, including Arabic pop, Egyptian pop, indie rock, traditional Yemeni music, Iraqi music, Bollywood, English pop, and more!
The four venues include
- Festival Bay at Dubai Festival City Mall
- Coca-cola Arena
- Dubai Opera
- Atlantis the Palm
| Artists | Date | Location | Tickets in INR (Starting Price) Approx. |
| Nora Fatehi | 6th Dec | Festival Bay at Dubai Festival City Mall | 3800/person with BOGO offer |
| Mahmoud El Esseily & Nader Hamdy | 13th Dec | Festival Bay at Dubai Festival City Mall | 3800/person with BOGO offer |
| Franz Ferdinand | 13th Dec | Coca-Cola Arena | 7,200/person |
| Yemenis Orchestra | 14th Dec | Dubai Opera | 10,000/person |
| Dalia & Mahmoud Al Turki | 20th Dec | Festival Bay at Dubai Festival City Mall | 3800/person with BOGO offer |
| Hany Shaker & Mai Farouk | 23rd Dec | Dubai Opera | 9000/person |
| Sonu Nigam | 27th Dec | Coca-Cola Arena | 7,200/person |
| Ruby | 27th Dec | Festival Bay at Dubai Festival City Mall | 5000/person |
| Kuwaiti Bader Al Shuaibi | 31st Dec | Festival Bay at Dubai Festival City Mall | 1,800/person |
| Maroon 5 (Gala Dinner) | 31st Dec | Atlantis The Palm | 200000/person |
Note: Dubai Shopping Festival tickets for concerts are available through the official booking partner. – Platinumlist.
Drone Shows
A special show where 1000+ LED drones form gigantic images in the sky that are simply spectacular to watch! There will be two shows each evening from 5th December 2025 at 8 pm & 10 pm.
There are two themes to the drone shown. One is known as ‘Dubai, City of Dreams’ ; it showcases Dubai’s iconic landmarks paired with Hans Zimmer music (composer of music from the movies – Interstellar and The Lion King).
The other theme is ‘Celebrations’. A kaleidoscope of colourful drone shows with various formations, along with some upbeat music.
Pro Tips: Arrive around 30 minutes early to get a good viewing spot, and the best photography spot is from JBR beachfront or the Ain Dubai viewpoint.
- Tickets: Free
- Location: Bluewaters Island & The Beach JBR
Mega Raffle
DSF doesn’t limit you to spending money at the event, but also gives you a chance to win cash! A lot of money!
You can get the DSF mega raffle tickets at kiosks around the city, including at Global Village, Zoom stores & ENOC (Emirates National Oil Company) stations.
One ticket costs 100 AED (2433 INR), and if you get lucky, you can win the keys to a brand new Nissan car and 100,000 AED. This happens daily, and every day there’s one winner.
However, there’s a mega winner at the end of DSF who can win a whopping amount of
400,000 AED in cash! That’s 9,735,204 INR!!!
Each ticket qualifies for both the daily prize and the grand finale draw by default. And the official announcements of the winner details will be managed by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishments (DFRE).
E& MOTB (Market Outside the Box)
An open market that is a festival of its own! From shopping to food experiences to entertainment, all under one roof.
56 different clothing and accessories brands are coming together to showcase their best pieces! And I’m sure that collection is diverse enough to fit in everybody’s budget. If you want something that you won’t usually find at your neighbourhood mall, this is the place to be!
And of course, everybody would love some good food after hours of shopping! This year, 27 food vendors serve amazing global and local cuisines. It will be a mix of street food, food trucks, and dine-in kiosks.
It’s not over yet! You will be entertained throughout with the in-house live music and concerts. And that’s why e& MOTB is a festival of its own!
And finally, expect several photo booths with Instagram-worthy setups perfect for snapping pictures!
- Tickets: Free
- Date: 1st to 11th January
- Location: Dubai Design District
- Timings:
- Monday to Thursday – 4 pm to 10 pm
- Friday – 4 pm to 12 am
- Saturday & Sunday – 12 pm to 12 am
Sole DXB
This 3-day festival (12, 13 & 14 Dec) is fully action-packed and the theme of the Sole DXB event is very Gen Z, street-style and youth-oriented. You will find sneaker swaps, thrift markets, hip-hop music and more! Let’s go one by one.
Talks & Panels
Experts from various domains have a talk at the Sole DXB. Panels are yet to be announced.
Food & Beverages
Multiple F&B vendors are featured at the festival from all over Dubai.
- Eleven Green – Burgers
- Piehaus – Pies & coffees
- Varak – Luxury Bakehouse
- Ma Hawa – Innovative water made from air technology.
Clothing & Accessories
A curated line-up of fashion & accessories brands.
- Asics – Sportswear & Sneakers.
- G-SHOCK – Watches
- Fullmetal – Jewellery for your teeth
- Fauré Le Page – French luxury clothing
- 28 Natalier – Women’s wear
Sneaker Swap and Vintage Collectibles
A few streetwear brands in Dubai are presented at the festival, where you can trade, sell or buy sneakers, denims, tees, jackets, bags and more!
- Youbetterfly
- Solo Mission
- Fashion Rerun
- Vintage Vibe Dubai
- Hoops Don’tLie Vintage and more!
Concerts
Dubai Shopping Festival 2025 has a great line-up of artists who deliver R&B, electronic Afrobeat, and hip-hop for all three days of the festival!
According to Platinumlist, this is the artist lineup:
Friday, 12 December
- Kaytranada
- Gilles Peterson
Saturday, 13 December
- Tyla
- Lil Yachty
- Zeyne
- KR$NA & Raftaar
- Tinariwen
- Tommy WÁ
Sunday, 14 December
- Miguel
- Naika
- Shabjdeed & Al Nather
- Special Guest Loyle Carner
- Venna and more!
This is not the end; there are many more smaller artists and DJs who are going to debut at this festival. To keep yourself updated, you can check out the Sole DXB on Instagram!
Sports Tournaments
Fred Perry, a brand that creates both tennis clothes and casual wear, has a pop-up store at Sole DXB. In a way to promote the brand, they have arranged a table tennis session.
Everybody is invited to participate. However, limited seats are available, and they are available on a first-come, first-serve basis only.
The festival also has a 3-day basketball tournament conducted by a basketball academy known as the ‘Ball Above All’. 330 players and 22 teams are coming together to showcase their talents.
- Tickets: (Online booking platform- Platinumlist)
- Prices starting from 7,500/person.
- Dates: 12th, 13th & 14th December
- Location: Dubai Design District
- Timings: 4 pm to 2:30 am
DSF ✕ Hatta Wadi Hub
Hatta Wadi is a resort situated in the Hajar mountains of Dubai. It specialises in adventure activities in the outdoors like ziplining, archery, outdoor e-scooters, trampolines, wall climbing and more!
When DSF collaborates with Hatta, we get these exciting programs this winter!
Beautiful fireworks light up the sky every Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, and cosy outdoor candlelight concerts are on the 6th, 13th, 19th and 27th December.
If you want to watch your favourite movie, you can do that at the ROXY Dome Cinema.
Also, the highlight of the resort is the Dinner under the Sky with incredible mountain views from 12th to 20th December.
And finally, if you’re up for a little adventure, take the 1 km illuminated Night Hike with interactive nature stops or try any of their 30+ outdoor activities.
- Tickets: Entry is free; activities cost.
- Dates: 5th – 31st December
- Timings:
- Sunday to Thursday: 5 pm to 10 pm
- Friday & Saturday: 5 pm to 11 pm.
- Kids’ activities and padel courts open every day at 4 pm.
Tax Claim
The prices at the Dubai Shopping Festival are already discounted, but as international visitors, you can get cashback via tax claims!
You can claim 5% VAT for a minimum expenditure of 250 AED. Physical products like clothing, gold, jewellery, electronics and gadgets are eligible for tax claims.
Look for stores with the ‘Tax Free’ logo or those partnered with Planet, the VAT refund operator. At these shops, you can request a tax refund receipt at checkout.
Once you get the tax refund receipt, take it to the ‘Planet’ kiosks at the airport to get the reimbursements.
For more information and to know more about the rules, visit the ‘Planet’ website.
Conclusion
Now we know what happens at the DSF. Is the Dubai Shopping Festival worth it? I’ll let you be the judge of it. Come and explore all the shopping deals, entertainment activities, mouthwatering delicacies, and more!
Don’t miss this unique experience that happens only once a year. And if you’re planning to be part of it, Dimaak Tours can help you plan the perfect DSF trip with customized itineraries and smooth travel support.
Book your Dubai holiday with Dimaak Tours and make the most of DSF 2025!
Frequently Asked Questions About Dubai Shopping Festival
What are the Dubai Shopping Festival 2025 dates?
The 2025 Dubai Shopping Festival is about the be conducted from 5th Dec 2025 to 11th Jan 2026! There are plenty of events and programmes that you can take part in!
What is the Dubai Shopping Festival venue?
There is no single venue for DSF 2025. Multiple events take place across Dubai for 38 days! The venues include Festival Bay at Dubai Festival City Mall, Coca-Cola Arena, and Dubai Opera
Atlantis the Palm, Dubai Design District, and more! To get specific venues, visit Dubai Shopping Festival.
Where to get Dubai Shopping Festival tickets?
You don’t need tickets for general shopping across the malls of Dubai. However, if you are interested in concerts, food festivals and other entertainment activities, tickets will be available on Platinumlist.
