The Dubai Shopping Festival, now an indelible part of the city's landscape and social calendar, wasn't exactly the international event it is today. It may have started off as an over-sized fair, but the levels of enthusiasm, revelry and excitement exhibited by the people of the UAE more than made up for what it lacked in size and scale. The festival was warmly welcomed and saw everyone participate in it with a zeal that has over time worn off, perhaps, in part due to the fading newness, as well as due to the commercial aspect of what had earlier felt more personalised. In its present form, the DSF is undoubtedly grander, brighter and has lots more to offer but for expats who were here for the inaugural edition, there are many reasons to walk down memory lane to 1996.
Upasna SwainConsultant, Corporate Communications, Indian
"I most certainly remember the first DSF. Even though I was living in Muscat at the time — and remember coming down for a visit. It is a special memory because I was recently married and very excited about setting up house and that's when we heard that there was to be a shopping festival. So we waited and it was worth it as we got some great deals. In those days everything was centred around the creek and traffic would be a nightmare. Of course, compared to today the scale was small but there was no mistaking the air of festivity. We stayed in a hotel and it was full of tourists who had come down especially for DSF and one had to wait in long lines to get a cab. I think it was a bigger deal, then and there is no buzz now — you don't even realise that DSF is on — but that's maybe because we have, since then, seen so many editions. Having said that I still know people who want to plan their holidays around DSF."
Rodney Skeet, Business Development Executive, British
"The first DSF was really small, and everything was centred around one area — there was no Shaikh Zayed Road nor so many malls. In that aspect I think the sheer scope of the festival has become bigger and better. The whole city celebrates it now and the space has widened, there are more deals, more sponsors and more exciting prizes and many more participants. Now it feels like a true shopping festival."
Chito Estibaya, Architect, Filipino
"I don't know if it was better then or now. Of course it was definitely much smaller and there weren't so many offers and deals — but you have to remember that at the time we only had two malls, Al Ghurair and BurJuman — and all the action was in Karama, Satwa and Al Fahidi Street. And that's what I feel bad about — that these places are now neglected and — that all action is the centred around the new glitzy malls. On the plus side we see more tourists and the festival is being promoted on an international scale. One sees tourists from all over the world.
Raja Salman, GM, Identity & PR, Lebanese
"I think this was a great idea promoted by the government of Dubai and everyone was very excited about it. We knew that DSF would mean an increase in business, it would lead to a retail boom and bring that many more people into the country. And the most sensible thing that was done was that DSF was never only all about shopping; from the beginning, the organisers included other events that were a great value addition to the cultural scene of Dubai — putting the emirate firmly on the tourist map. DSF has played a big role in building and developing brand Dubai. It has helped empower the brand, making the city an attractive venue. Not just for visitors and tourists, DSF has forced people into rescheduling their purchasing habits, where they wait for the shopping festival for great offers and discounts. I think DSF has become an indelible part of the city."
Ayesha Chen McKeeva, Manager, Dubai International Arts Centre, Indian
"It was a very exciting time as we had never had anything like this. Every single day you would see people out on the streets, enjoying the festivities. I think it stayed that way for the first five years, where you could feel that there was something magical in the air. Today, it doesn't feel the same because I guess now it's become an everyday event, but despite that I know that most of us still look forward to the offers, visitors still plan their holidays around that time and there is some amount of anticipation. It is sad that in the past few years we have seen DSF become a little low key — I suppose the budgets are not the same. But no matter, whether 15 years or 20, DSF will always be an integral part of the city."
