Today (January 24), heralds the start of another glorious DSF edition as a grand opening ceremony will announce the beginning of 32 days of shopping, winning, and family entertainment. Across Dubai, visitors and residents are eagerly waiting for a season of celebration that will engulf the city between January 24 and February 24.

With over a hundred events including a wide spectrum of activities for every age group, DSF 2008 will feature some inclusions this year to add to the excitement.

Laila Suhail, Chief Executive Officer of DSF said, “After months of careful preparation and planning, DSF 2008 is finally here. Innovation is integral to every DSF edition and this will be very much evident in the coming 32 days through the shopping and entertainment activities in the Festival.” “Our main aim through every DSF edition is to ensure that visitors and residents have a memorable experience by providing them the finest in shopping, winning, and family entertainment,” she added.

A grand opening ceremony is being organised at Dubai Festival City today (Jan 24) evening to usher in the thirteenth edition of the Festival. The opening will reflect the growth of Dubai over the years and include a combination of light and sound shows in the form of laser displays and dazzling fireworks.

While a majority of events will kick-start today (Jan 24), shopping will be a major attraction for visitors with shopping malls and exclusive DSF venues highlighting the first day of massive DSF promotions. Shoppers can also take part in the Lexus Mega Raffle from today (Jan 24) where one lucky winner can win two Lexus cars and 100,000 cash in a currency picked by the winner from currencies like the Sterling Pound, US Dollar, Argentinian Pesos, Italian Lira, and the Iranian Toman, among others.

While there are over a hundred events being organized during DSF 2008, the major attractions are as follows: Food Festival A favourite of DSF visitors, Food Festival attracts people of diverse backgrounds to a celebration of international cuisine. Celebrity chefs, live cooking counters, and culinary workshops, in addition to interactive events and exciting prizes, add to the excitement of this truly one-of-a-kind gastronomic experience. The Food festival will be held at Uptown Mirdif from January 25 to February 2. Evenings are the best times to visit the Food Festival, but for those who’d like a Friday brunch, the venue is open from 12noon to 4pm and then 6pm to 11:30pm.

Guinness World Records As Dubai’s brand ambassador, DSF has contributed through numerous world records, and this year will be even more exciting as DSF 2008 will witness the launch of a new record breaking event under the name “Dubai Records”. The launch of this event will take place on 16th of Feb, while the first official edition will be held during DSF 2009. Dubai Records will mainly highlight various attempts to break local records only. Guinness World Records will remain a main attraction during the coming DSF editions with events for DSF 2008 taking place between 21-23 Feb at the Creek Park. Previous successful attempts include the Longest Footprints, the Biggest House Key, and the Largest Buffet in the World with 515 dishes.

Dubai Fashion 2008 Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum - wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Fashion was launched in 2004 and is an initiative by the DSF Office to bring top notch international designer labels to Dubai and showcase the latest collections to fashion enthusiasts in the emirate. The long term vision of the event is to position Dubai as a prime destination in the annual calendar of world renowned fashion. The Madinat Jumeirah will host the 2008 Dubai Fashion from Feb 10 to Feb 12.

Creations ‘Creations’ was initiated during DSF 2004 and was conceived as a platform for upcoming local and regional fashion designers aiming to establish themselves in the region. With DSF providing all the logistical support, amateur and budding fashion designers are given the opportunity to showcase their work within the fashion industry in Dubai. The nine-day event will be held at BurJuman, a DSF 2008 key sponsor, from Feb 14 to Feb 22.

Fringe Festival The ‘Fringe’ festival concept was established over 60 years ago and continues to celebrate various forms of arts including theatre, comedy, visual arts, dance, and music. Major international cities that host fringe festivals include cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Edinburgh, Dublin, Melbourne, Prague, and now, Dubai. Between Jan 24 and Feb 8, numerous international performers will perform at various venues throughout Dubai House of Talents Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum - wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai - House of Talents is an annual event that has provided a platform to gifted women to showcase their talents and skills in handicrafts, architecture, fashion design, sculpting, information technology, drawing, interior design, music, jewellery designing, photography, perfume making, poetry and writing, and make-up and hair styling, to a wide audience since 1999. The 2008 edition of House of Talents is being organized from January 28 to March 1, 2008, at the Global Village.

Dubai Carnivals Based on the idea of floats, Dubai Carnivals will feature four platforms, each with a different theme. The themes include Russian, Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese. Different locations in Dubai like the Muraggabat Street, Al Seef Street, Creek Park, the Dubai Marina, Uptown Mirdiff, Arabian Ranches, Global Village, and even Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City, and Knowledge Village will play host to the Carnivals thus making it possible for visitors anywhere in Dubai to view them. A total of 300 performers will take part in the Carnivals that will be held during every weekend throughout DSF.

Fireworks Festival Fireworks have been a hallmark of every DSF edition and 2008 is slated to be bigger, better, and longer. Dazzling fireworks will be launched from a specially created platform when the display begins on Jan 24. An attraction during the weekends, visitors will witness some of the best pyrotechnics in the region and a spectacular display of colour, light, and sound. The Official launch of the Fireworks Festival, organized in cooperation with the Al Zarooni Group, a key sponsor of DSF 2008, will take place on January 25th at 8pm beside the Dubai Creek.

Art Avenue – Brought to you by Dubai Cultural Council Being introduced for the first time in a DSF edition, the Art Avenue at Al Seef Road is a gathering of artists of unique calibre. Art enthusiasts to this part of Dubai will see generic, innovative, and experimental art all in one go. Fe