Dubai: This year the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) will give away prizes worth millions which include posh cars, a choice of a luxury villa or yacht, traditional discounts and promotions at more than 2,000 participating outlets, in addition to festive shows which will run from January 28 to February 28.

A vital fixture on Dubai's retail calendar, the 15th edition of DSF will open on Thursday, promising to beat previous records with more spectacular shows, exciting prizes and tempting discounts.

Organisers promise to turn the city and shopping areas into a huge carnival with more than 120 performers from Poland, India, Italy, Hungary, Egypt, England, Canada, Slovakia and the US, scheduled to perform on Dubai's streets during weekends and in malls on Thursdays.

New and improved

Laila Suhail, CEO of the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, said they were trying to "maintain the same momentum" of DSF 2009, which recorded 3.35 million visitors spending Dh9.8 billion.

Rana Jaser, PR and corporate communications manager, Mercato and Town Centre Jumeirah, said the worst of the crisis is over. She said that the UAE remains a popular destination for many tourists and expatriates, so this year's mega-shopping event should continue to attract millions of visitors.

Apart from the many prizes and discounts, Jaser said that the line-up of entertainment shows was sure to keep the excitement going.

"Until now, no official numbers have been released announcing the number of people who actually lost their jobs or have left the emirate ... the UAE remains a popular destination... many companies carried out a restructuring process to ensure best resources utilisation in an uncertain financial climate," Jaser told Gulf News via email.

She added that the impact of the global economic downturn on Dubai's trade has been grossly exaggerated, adding that consumer spending and footfall figures even increased last year, thanks to "genuine" discount sales at various outlets.

Concerns

"In June 2009 there were serious concerns when Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) was launched. Many businesses feared losses by that time. We... found out that footfall figures in June 2009 increased by 23 per cent over May 2009. Sales recorded a growth of 18 per cent in the first four weeks of DSS too."

Mercato, which has been one of the patron sponsors of DSF, has a line-up of shows during the festival. Customers can look forward to enjoying Italian theatre performances, dancing and comedy shows, children's workshops and a lot more.

Millions of prizes await shoppers at the malls. Fuad Sharaf, vice-president of Mall of the Emirates, told Gulf News. He added that the mall had tied up with Deira City Centre to give away a grand prize worth Dh2 million to one lucky shopper.

To win the prize, shoppers must spend Dh300 or more at any of the 800 stores in the Mall of the Emirates and Deira City Centre. The promotion, titled "Dream Big", will offer one lucky winner the choice of a Tuscan villa, a luxury sports car or a private yacht, each worth Dh2 million.

Another constant feature in DSF, the Lexus Mega Raffle, will give away a whopping Dh16 million worth of prizes this year. Ticket holders can win Dh100,000 in cash and take home a Lexus LS 460 every day for 32 days of DSF. Weekly prizes worth Dh400,000 will also be given away.