Daniel
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October 14, 2026
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8 min read
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The Dubai Shopping Festival runs from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027: 44 days of citywide discounts of 25 to 75%, mega raffles for cars, gold and cash, plus free nightly fireworks and drone shows. Discounts peak in the final sale week, when some outlets cut prices by up to 90%. Book hotels early: the festival overlaps Christmas and New Year, Dubai’s priciest weeks.
The Dubai Shopping Festival, usually shortened to DSF, is Dubai’s annual winter retail festival, now in its 32nd edition. It is organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), part of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. Below you will find the confirmed dates, the discount bands you will actually see, how the raffles work, the venues that matter, and planning tips, plus a fact check on the outdated dates other guides still publish. If you are planning a wider trip, start with our Dubai travel guide.
| Detail | This season |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027 (44 days) |
| Edition | 32nd |
| Organiser | Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) |
| Discounts | 25-75% across 3,500+ outlets and 1,000+ brands; up to 90% in the final sale |
| Raffles | Cars, gold and cash draws; daily prizes up to AED 150,000 |
| Main venues | Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Global Village, Dubai Gold Souk, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Seef |
| Entry cost | Free to attend; you pay only for what you buy |
| 2026-27 concerts | Lineup not announced yet |
| Official info | The official Visit Dubai DSF page |
The 32nd Dubai Shopping Festival runs from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. The dates come from the official Visit Dubai DSF page, which is the only confirmed source for this season, and they cover 44 days.
Several popular guides still show 15 December 2026 to 29 January 2027. That was the projected range before the official announcement; it is now stale. One guide hedged with 6 December 2026 to 12 January 2027, also superseded. If a page you are reading shows either range, its DSF dates are outdated.
For context: last season’s 31st edition ran from 5 December 2025 to 11 January 2026. This season starts a day earlier and runs almost a week longer.
Expect 25 to 75% off across 3,500+ outlets and 1,000+ brands, according to Gulf Business. The final sale week pushes discounts at 3,000+ outlets to as much as 90% off. Dubai Shopping Festival deals are deepest on fashion and electronics; luxury brands typically sit at the lower end of the band.
The Dubai Mall, with 1,200+ stores, is the centre of the action. Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta Mall and Deira City Centre run parallel promotions, so prices on the same item can differ between malls. Check the tag before you buy.
Two things to know before you shop. First, shelf prices in the UAE include 5% VAT, so the discount you see is the discount you pay. Second, the Gold Souk works differently: gold jewellery is priced off the daily gold rate with making charges on top, and haggling over those charges is normal. Fixed prices rule the malls; the souk rewards a polite bargain.
Most Dubai Shopping Festival raffles are spend-to-enter. You spend a set amount, often AED 300 or more, scan your receipt, and you are in the draw. Tourists enter on exactly the same terms as residents; there is no separate visitor raffle.
The biggest format is “Shop, Scan & Win”. At Majid Al Futtaim malls such as Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif and City Centre Deira, you scan receipts through the SHARE rewards app to enter an AED 1 million cash draw. The separate DSF Mega Raffle gives away cars and cash prizes in draws of AED 100,000 to AED 400,000, and daily prize draws during the festival reach up to AED 150,000.
Gold raffles are the DSF signature: the Gold Souk runs draws where the prize is gold itself, and duty-free gold pricing is part of why shoppers time big jewellery buys to the festival. Keep every receipt until the draws close, and read the entry terms on the official pages before you plan spending around a raffle.
DSF is citywide, but a handful of venues carry the festival. The Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates anchor the mall sales. Global Village hosts DSF-period fireworks and themed entertainment; read our Global Village Dubai guide before you go, because it runs its own ticketed entry. The Dubai Gold Souk in Deira is the place for gold deals and gold raffles.
Beyond those four, Ibn Battuta Mall, Deira City Centre, Dubai Festival City Mall and Al Seef run their own DSF events, markets and firework nights. If fireworks are the draw, Dubai Festival City Mall and Dubai Creek put on some of the festival’s best displays.
The 2026-27 Dubai Shopping Festival concert lineup has not been announced yet. Last season’s acts included Sonu Nigam, Nora Fatehi, Mahmoud Al Turky and Bader AlShuaibi, which gives you a sense of the scale, but treat any 2026-27 lineup you see online as unconfirmed until DFRE publishes it.
The free entertainment is confirmed in format, if not in schedule. Nightly drone shows light up Bluewaters and The Beach at JBR, and fireworks run across Dubai Creek, JBR, Global Village and Dubai Festival City Mall through the festival. Street performances and pop-up markets fill the malls on weekends.
Book hotels 2 to 3 months ahead. The Dubai Shopping Festival overlaps Christmas and New Year, the two priciest hotel weeks of the Dubai year, and festival demand stacks on top of holiday demand. See our guide to where to stay in Dubai for area-by-area advice.
Timing within the festival is a trade-off. Early December brings the opening events and the widest stock; the final sale week in January brings the deepest discounts on what is left. Read what December is like in Dubai and January in Dubai to pick your week, and browse more things to do in Dubai to fill the non-shopping hours.
| What you will read | What is accurate |
|---|---|
| “DSF 2026-27 runs 15 December 2026 to 29 January 2027” | Stale. The official Visit Dubai FAQ confirms 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. |
| “DSF 2026-27 runs 6 December 2026 to 12 January 2027” | A projected range, now superseded by the official 4 December to 17 January dates. |
| “DSF draws 3.5 million visitors” | Single-sourced figure with no official backing for this season; treat it as unverified. |
| Published 2026-27 concert lineups | Not announced yet. Any lineup you see now is either last season’s acts or a guess. |
The 32nd Dubai Shopping Festival runs from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. The dates are confirmed on the official Visit Dubai DSF page. Several third-party guides still show the old projected range of 15 December 2026 to 29 January 2027; that range is outdated.
This season’s Dubai Shopping Festival lasts 44 days, from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. That makes it slightly longer than last season’s 31st edition, which ran 38 days from 5 December 2025 to 11 January 2026.
Dubai Shopping Festival deals run citywide across 3,500+ outlets. The biggest participating venues are the Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta Mall, Deira City Centre and Dubai Festival City Mall, plus the Dubai Gold Souk and Global Village for themed events and fireworks.
Most raffles are spend-to-enter: spend a set amount, often AED 300 or more, and scan your receipt to enter the draw. At Majid Al Futtaim malls you scan receipts through the SHARE app for an AED 1 million cash draw. The DSF Mega Raffle adds cars and cash draws of AED 100,000 to AED 400,000.
Yes, if you time it right. The Dubai Shopping Festival is worth it for discounts of 25-75% (up to 90% in the final sale), free nightly fireworks and drone shows, and gold deals at the Gold Souk. Go in early December for stock and events, or the final January week for the deepest cuts.
The Dubai Shopping Festival is the winter sale, running 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027 with 25-75% discounts. Dubai Summer Surprises is the summer equivalent, which ran 3 July to 30 August 2026. DSF is bigger, longer and paired with outdoor entertainment; Summer Surprises is mall-focused, built for the hot months.
Yes. Tourists enter Dubai Shopping Festival raffles on the same terms as UAE residents. Keep your receipts, scan them through the required app or entry point for each draw, and check the official terms for minimum spend and draw dates before you count on a prize.
Written by
Daniel
Daniel is the travel writer behind Go Dubai Now, covering Dubai's attractions, parks, restaurants and practical travel topics. Every guide is researched against official sources — government portals, operator websites and current local listings — and updated regularly so timings, prices and rules stay accurate. His goal is simple: answer the exact questions travelers ask before they go, with no fluff and no outdated information.
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