The 24th edition of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), started as it means to continue – with great offers, excited shoppers and lots of happy faces!
The first 24 hours of the 10-week-long retail extravaganza saw spectacular projection shows plus huge savings and epic promotions at stores and malls across the city.
On the evening of 1 July, vaccinated, socially distanced and masked crowds at Dubai Festival City Mall and The Dubai Mall were thrilled by a beautifully choreographed light and music show with specially created projections illuminating the night sky. Dubai Festival City Mall’s IMAGINE show, the nearby InterContinental Hotel as well as the Burj Khalifa came alive as part of the magical opening day spectacle that was also broadcast live to audiences across the UAE.
Dubai KawkabAkharprovided the ideal soundtrack to the DSS celebration shows with the music perfectly combining with projections to create a hugely impressive display that delighted onlookers. Using works by UAE-based artists Kaveh Ahangaran and Maajed Ahmed, the projections featured colourful graphics, intricate patterns and the very latest special effects, plus the official DSS logo, that were beamed onto the InterContinental Hotel at Dubai Festival City Mall, and on the iconic Burj Khalifa.
Born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia Maajed’s artistic journey began with a love of graffiti before evolving into his own style of Arabic calligraphy and street art. Kaveh, who worked in Dubai’s luxury fashion and retail industry for 10 years, found inspiration for his artwork in the geometric patterns of nature that connect everything around us.
Shoppers were busy exploring the huge choice of offers and deals at the city’s biggest and best-loved malls. The 12-Hour Sale at Majid Al Futtaim malls saw prices slashed by as much as 90 per cent, while the long-awaited DSS Summer Sale also got underway with more than 500 brands and 3,500 outlets tempting customers with savings of 25-75 per cent.
Coinciding with the 12-Hour Sale, which ran from 10am to 10pm on 1 July, the 12 Hour Sale SHARE Millionaire saw customers who spent a minimum of AED300 and scanned their receipts using the SHARE application enter a draw to win one million SHARE points. The winner is due to be announced on 4 July.
The opening celebrations also featured the first-ever 24 Hour Flash Sale – Hotels Edition. Held from 10am on 1 July until 10am on 2 July, residents and visitors enjoyed extra-special getaways complete with promotional room rates, savings on F&B, complimentary tickets to tourist attractions around the city and much more.
Running from 1 July to 4 September, DSS boosts the city’s retail sector and helps to establish Dubai as the ideal summer destination for families, shoppers, visitors and residents.
Featuring a host of exciting retail opportunities, shoppers will be treated to the biggest savings, deals and promotions on everything from the latest global fashion styles to jewellery, electronics and much more. Building on Dubai’s status as a safe, open and welcoming destination, all of the stores, malls and venues taking part in DSS follow the important health and safety rules including social distancing and the wearing of masks at all times.
This year’s DSS takes place in partnership with key sponsors and stakeholders Emirates, AW Rostamani and RAK Bank, Majid Al Futtaim, Meraas – Dubai Holding, Merex, Nakheel Malls, Mercato Mall, Dubai Festival City Mall, Dubai Mall, Emaar Downtown and Dubai Marina Mall.
For more information, log onto the website mydss.ae or follow @DSSsocial for the latest information.
