Legendary Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer set to enthral audiences as part of Dubai Shopping Festival

A staple of the winter season in the emirates, the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), the world’s longest-running retail festival, has returned for its 28th edition. Along with major deals, discounts and daily firework shows, this year’s highlight is none other than Hollywood’s legendary composer Hans Zimmer.

The multiple Academy Award winning German composer, responsible for some of the most listened-to soundtracks in the history of cinema – including The Dark Knight, Dunkirk, Gladiator, Inception and Interstellar – is bringing his new tour ‘Hans Zimmer Live’ to Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena on January 27, 2023 before taking it to Europe.

The concert will feature two and a half hours of new and reimagined arrangements from Zimmer, together with a large orchestra, complemented by his 45-piece live band and dancers. This will be one of the closing shows of the DSF, with tickets starting from AED 295.

Also at the Coca-Cola arena as part of DSF is a high-acrobatic production by Cirque du Soleil (12 to 18 January.)

DSF kicked off on December 15 and will run until January 29, 2023. This time, over 800 participating brands at 3,500 outlets will offer 25% to 75% reductions throughout the 46-day festival across the city, accompanied by fireworks, drone shows and plenty of other live entertainment.

“28 years ago, DSF was born from an ambition to boost local businesses, and has now grown alongside the city of Dubai to become one of the world’s best retail festivals,” Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), which organises the event, told Business Recorder in a statement.

The official said while shopping is an integral part of the tourism experience, it is not necessarily the sole motivation to travel to the city.

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“DSF gives us an opportunity to re-engage with major source markets across the world to showcase the breadth of offer in Dubai and attract new and repeat visitors to the emirate. It also helps us continue to build Dubai’s reputation as one of the best cities in the world to live, work, play and visit.”

What’s new?

New attractions for this edition include the Dubai 80s pop-up (23 December - 8 January). The free to attend pop-up is described as an “immersive journey of nostalgia” celebrating pop culture of the past from the 80s, 90s and early 2000s including music, vintage arcade games and classic cars.

New also this year is the COREUNITY festival (January 13-15) a community wellness weekend in Hatta, an exclave of Dubai. Expect plenty of yoga, meditation, drum circles, hikes, journaling and even learning how to hula hoop like a pro.

Fireworks and drones are back

The daily DSF fireworks display will be back at several venues, including Burj Al and Dubai Festival City Mall.

The drone show is set to wow spectators with original music and the most advanced 3D drone technology available. Shows will be held twice daily at 7 pm and 10 pm at The Beach and Bluewaters opposite Jumeirah Beach Residence.

On New Year’s Eve, show timings will be at 8 pm and 11 pm.

Also part of the festival this year is the second edition of Dubai Lights with the theme ‘The Spark Within’. It will feature a collection of 10 artistic and interactive installations from 10 renowned international artists.

The annual Etisalat Market Outside The Box (January 19 to 29) described as “the original alternative shopping concept for Dubai” showcasing homegrown food and beverage as well as retail vendors will be back for its tenth year.

Win big

As always there are some amazing prizes to be won. For instance, the Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group’s raffle will give shoppers purchasing AED500 worth of jewellery from participating outlets a chance to win 250 grams of gold.

The DSF Mega Raffle ticket, available for AED200 at ENOC and EPPCO petrol stations, will give buyers a chance to win a new Nissan Patrol and AED100,000 in cash daily.

With the daily DSF Lucky Receipt, shoppers spending a minimum of AED500 from 15 to 25 December at any of the ten participating brands can win TVs, iPhones, gold and jewellery sets.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022