Sponsored: A treasure hunt in IKEA, a trolley dash in Lulu Hypermarket, movie screenings and much more, a look at what happened when Festival Plaza hosted a special overnight stay…

Having a slumber party inside a mall is probably one of our all-time favourite childhood fantasies. We’d raid the supermarkets, scoff a load of IKEA meatballs, sneak into the movie theatre, then pass out from all the fun.

For 25 lucky families – including our very own What’s On competition-winning family The Nagranis – this dream became a reality on Friday, 11 December.

Festival Plaza kick-started its one year mall anniversary pre-celebrations by hosting a one-of-a-kind event: “Night at the mall: Camping with a twist.”

The event hosted a full programme of after-dark events and activations with access to some of the mall’s most popular stores. There were treasure hunts at IKEA, scavenger hunts in the newly-opened ACE Hardware, trolley dashes at Lulu Hypermarket, fossil camps and other edutainment sessions courtesy of Mleiha Archeological Centre with snacks provided by Dunkin’, all culminating in a festive movie screening of Home Alone 2 under a (projected) starry night sky complete with free slushies, popcorn and cotton candy and delicious treats from Dunkin’ at Festival Plaza.

The dedicated campsite on the first floor of Festival Plaza was set up courtesy of ACE who provided the tents and sleeping bags for guests to keep, while a Camp Ranger serenaded guests at night around the ‘campfire’ with his guitar.

The camp ended with plenty of prize giveaways, special hampers from IKEA and Lulu, and a delicious breakfast from IKEA.

Here’s a lowdown of what happened…

For more information, visit dubaifestivalplaza.com