A whole month of shopping specials? Count us in…

If Christmas has left you rather light in the pocket, have no fear: the Dubai Shopping Festival is back, which means plenty of sales to shop and bargains to bag.

The month-long retail therapy extravaganza takes place from now until January 28 at various locations around the city, during which time around five million shoppers are expected to descend on Dubai’s malls in search of a good bargain.

The festival includes discounts on big-name brands, competitions, raffle draws and more – plus it signals the launch of a spectacular waterfront show at Festival City. Think fireworks, fountains, lights and lasers at daily showings (click here for timings).

So what can you expect over the next 30-odd days?

Here are just a few of the festival highlights…

Twelve hours of serious sales

On January 1 from 12pm, various malls including City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira and Mall of the Emirates will ring in the new year with a special 12-hour sale that’ll include discounts of up to 90 per cent (you’ll normally get sales of up to 75 per cent max for the rest of DSF). Plus, for every Dhs200 you spend, you’re entered into a draw for a chance to win Dhs50,000 in mall gift vouchers.

Solid gold prizes

The Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group is running a promotion where anyone who spends Dhs500 or more on jewellery will be entered into a draw to win weighty amounts of gold – 340kg, to be exact, will be given away to 100 winners over the course of the festival.

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A local market with live music

From January 19 to 28, pop into Market Outside The Box, a market selling goods exclusively from local and regional brands, based just below the Burj Khalifa. Feel good about shopping local and browse for a bargain while listening to live music too.

A chance to win a Lambourghini worth Dhs1 million

There are loads of prizes on offer during the month-long shopping extravaganza, but perhaps none as impressive as the opportunity to win a 2017 Lamborghini Huracan worth Dhs1 million. All you have to do is spend Dhs450 at Mall of the Emirates to be in with a chance of winning.

Transform your home

From today until January 15 Sheikh Saeed Halls 2 and 3 at Dubai World Trade Centre have been transformed into a carpet buyer’s dream, featuring around 200,000 silk and wool carpets (80 per cent of which are handmade). So if you’re after a work of art for your floor, whether from Uzbekistan or Afghanistan, this is a great place to peruse.

Fashion and beauty pop-ups

If your bathroom cabinet is looking a little lacklustre, head down to Dubai Mall’s Fashion Catwalk between January 6 and 14. You’ll find promotions, new products, exclusive beauty boxes, and experts on hand (and you’ll find a similar gig at Galeries Lafayette from January 5 to 14). There’ll also be fashion presentations and “Street Runways” held at malls including Ibn Battuta, Dubai Festival City and Mall of the Emirates in January.

An Ice Age live show

Little ones will love the chance to meet the stars of the Dreamsworks Ice Age film franchise at a live show in Ibn Battuta Mall. From January 2 to 7, at 3pm to 10pm, kids can meet Manny the mammoth, Sid the sloth and Diego the saber-tooth tiger, while taking part in fun workshops too.

For more information about DSF 2017, check out visitdubai.com.

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