Dubai Shopping Festival 2026–27: what residents need to know
Dubai Shopping Festival, known to almost everyone as DSF, returns for its 32nd edition from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. That is 45 days of citywide sales, raffles, concerts and free entertainment, timed for the coolest weeks of the year when the whole city is out in the evenings. This page is our running guide for people who live here: what is on each weekend, which sale moments are worth planning around, and where the fireworks and drone shows are. We update it as the official programme is announced, so check back before each weekend.
What we know so far
- Dates: Friday 4 December 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027 (45 days).
- Edition: the 32nd Dubai Shopping Festival. The previous edition ran from 5 December 2025 to 11 January 2026, so this year starts a day earlier and runs almost a week longer.
- Where: citywide, across the major malls and outdoor destinations, with festival events planned at Dubai Festival City, Sunset Beach, The Square in Nad Al Sheba and Hatta Wadi Hub.
- Organiser: Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), part of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.
- Programme: headline entertainment, prizes, retail offers and citywide activations are announced closer to opening. As details are confirmed, we add them to the sections below.
How DSF works
DSF has run every winter since 1996 and is less a single event than a season. Malls and brands run their own promotions under the festival banner, some for the full 45 days and some for a single day or weekend. Around that sits a programme of free entertainment, ticketed concerts and shows, and raffles with big prizes. For residents, the trick is knowing which parts are worth leaving the house for. Most of the value sits in a handful of sale days, the free outdoor shows and the concerts that are timed to the festival.
Seven festival weekends at a glance
Because the dates are fixed, you can already plan around the seven weekends DSF covers:
- 4 to 6 December: opening weekend, straight after the UAE National Day holiday. Launch offers and opening entertainment usually draw big crowds.
- 11 to 13 December: the first full weekend of the season, and usually a calmer time to shop before schools break up.
- 18 to 20 December: winter school holidays are under way for many families, so expect busier malls and more family entertainment.
- 25 to 27 December: Christmas Day falls on the Friday. In recent seasons the main DSF Sale Season and the 12-Hour Sale both started on 26 December, so this is likely to be the biggest shopping weekend of the festival.
- 1 to 3 January: New Year’s Day weekend, with the city still in celebration mode after New Year’s Eve.
- 8 to 10 January: schools are back for most families, and the festival enters its final stretch.
- 15 to 17 January: the festival’s closing weekend. Last season the DSF Sale Season ran beyond the festival itself, into early February.
Use the When filter in the event list further down this page to see exactly what is on during any of these weekends.
This weekend at DSF
The event list further down this page includes everything on our calendar in Dubai during the festival, from concerts and comedy to family shows and brunches. To plan the next few days, use the When filter and choose this weekend: you will see what is happening across Dubai, with dates, venues and ticket links in one place. Events added to ThingsToDo.ae during the festival appear here automatically.
Fireworks and drone shows
Free fireworks and drone shows are one of the reasons residents head out during DSF, and they are usually staged at waterfront and festival locations on set nights through the season. The 2026–27 schedule has not been published yet; the free shows section at the top of this page shows what ran every night last season. When DFRE releases this year’s schedule, we will list every show by date, time and location so you can plan a night out around it.
The big sale moments
DSF is not one long sale but a run of promotions, with some days far more worthwhile than others. Rather than list every shop’s discount, we track the moments that genuinely move people, shown in the sales section above: the citywide Sale Season, the one-day 12-Hour Sale, mall-wide promotions and the big prize draws. Each one gets its date, hours and the malls or brands taking part once announced, and we mark sales as ended once they finish so you are never chasing an expired deal. For deals beyond DSF, see our offers page.
A few habits help you get real value. Note the normal price of anything big you plan to buy before the festival starts, so you can tell a genuine reduction from a headline. Check whether a promotion is for one day or the whole season before rushing. And keep receipts from participating outlets, since they can matter for raffle entries.
Raffles and prizes
Raffles are part of the DSF tradition. There are two main ways in: buying a ticket for the DSF Mega Raffle, which last season meant a daily Nissan and AED 100,000, or spending a set amount at participating stores and scanning your receipt for mall and citywide draws. Gold and jewellery raffles from the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group are another long-running favourite. This year’s prizes, ticket prices and entry rules have not been announced yet; we will add them to the sales section above as soon as they are.
Where to go during the festival
The big malls are the heart of DSF, but some of the best evenings happen outdoors: waterfront promenades, night markets and festival zones with food stalls, live music and family entertainment. Weekday evenings are noticeably calmer than Friday to Sunday, and on concert and fireworks nights the Dubai Metro is usually easier than driving and parking. DSF also overlaps with the busiest weeks of the year, including the winter school holidays, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so popular events and restaurants book up early.
DSF with children
With schools on their winter break for much of the festival, DSF is packed with family shows, mall entertainment and outdoor activities. Filter the event list below by Kids and family, or browse our full things to do with kids in Dubai guide.
More for December and January
DSF sits alongside a crowded season. See everything else on in December and January, plan your night with our New Year’s Eve in Dubai guide, find tickets in concerts in Dubai, book a festive table with our dinner and brunch guide, or explore our wider things to do in Dubai hub.
Hosting an event, offer or activation during DSF? Submit it for free and we will add it to this page.
