Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2026-27: Dates, Sales and Raffles

The short answer: Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2026-27 has been reported as running from Friday 4 December 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027, by Arabian Business on 15 October 2026, though neither Visit Dubai nor Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism had posted an official confirmation on their own pages when we checked on 4 November 2026. DSF is six weeks of mall discounts, raffles with gold and cars as prizes, DSF Nights concerts, fireworks and drone shows, layered over National Day, the school winter break and New Year. Genuine tourists (not UAE residents) can also reclaim the 5% VAT on eligible purchases through the Federal Tax Authority’s refund scheme, run by Planet.

When is Dubai Shopping Festival 2026-27?

Arabian Business reported on 15 October 2026 that this season’s Dubai Shopping Festival runs from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027, a run of about six weeks. We could not find that window repeated on an official Visit Dubai or Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism page when we checked on 4 November 2026: the shopping and events sections of visitdubai.com we were able to load did not yet mention DSF by name or date. Treat the dates above as the most current reported figure rather than a government confirmation, and check visitdubai.com again closer to December, since the festival has in past years been announced only a few weeks ahead.

Whatever the exact end date turns out to be, the reported window sits over UAE National Day (Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026, see our UAE National Day holiday guide), the whole school winter break (14 December 2026 to 3 January 2027) and New Year’s Day itself, which is normally DSF’s busiest and priciest stretch.

What DSF actually is

Dubai Shopping Festival started in 1996 as a month-long citywide sale and has run most winters since, organised under Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. It is not one event in one place: it is a season-long layer of discounts, prize draws and entertainment spread across the city’s malls, souks and public spaces. In past editions that has meant:

• Storewide sales at malls and souks, on top of their usual pricing.
• Raffles, with gold and cars as the headline prizes.
• DSF Nights, a concert and entertainment series on a public stage.
• Fireworks and drone shows on selected nights, usually weekends.
• Markets and family activities in public spaces and mall atriums.

We could not confirm the specific concert line-up, raffle terms or fireworks nights for the 2026-27 edition when we checked: none had been published on an official page we could reach. The pattern above is how DSF has worked in recent seasons, not a guarantee of this one.

Which malls, and how big are the discounts really

Dubai’s major malls (Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, the City Centre malls, Dubai Festival City, Ibn Battuta and Mercato among them) have historically all taken part in DSF, alongside independent shops in Deira, Karama and Satwa. Marketing around the festival routinely advertises discounts of up to 75%, but that figure usually applies to a narrow selection of stock rather than the whole shop floor. The useful habit is to check a few items’ regular prices in the weeks before DSF starts, so you can tell a genuine markdown from a sign that says “up to” a number that barely anything in the shop is actually discounted to.

We could not find official, mall-by-mall discount figures for the 2026-27 season when we checked, so treat any specific percentage you see advertised closer to December as this season’s own claim, not something we have verified.

The raffles: how the gold and car draws work

DSF has long run alongside raffles where shoppers buy a coupon, or qualify with a minimum spend at a participating retailer, for an entry into a draw for prizes that have historically included cars and gold. Entries are usually sold at in-mall counters or added automatically at the till once you cross the spending threshold, with winners drawn and announced on set dates through the festival.

We could not confirm this season’s coupon price, minimum spend, draw dates or exact prizes on an official page when we checked. If a raffle matters to your shopping plans, ask at the mall’s customer service desk or look for DSF signage once the festival opens, since terms tend to vary by mall and by year.

The DSF events calendar so far

Past seasons have paired DSF with a DSF Nights concert series, weekend fireworks and drone shows at public viewpoints, and markets in spaces such as mall atriums and waterfront promenades. When we checked on 4 November 2026, we found no published 2026-27 line-up, venue list or confirmed dates for any of this on an official page.

We also found no announced Hatta or beach-specific DSF events for this season. If that changes once the festival’s own calendar goes live, check back on an official source before planning a trip around it.

Dubai stays open throughout DSF for its other sights: Global Village runs its own season (ticket from Dubai Global Village entry ticket, see our Global Village Dubai guide) and the view from Burj Khalifa (Burj Khalifa tickets) are both good evenings to pair with a shopping day. Dubai Miracle Garden (our Dubai Miracle Garden guide) is another, since its season runs through the same cooler months.

Before you shop: tips

• The deepest sales tend to come late. Many retailers mark down further in the festival’s closing weeks to clear stock before new season lines arrive, rather than on opening day.
• The final weekend is the busiest and the best for last-minute discounts, but also the most crowded: go on a weekday evening if you want to actually browse rather than queue.
• Keep your tax invoices if you are a genuine visitor, not a resident. UAE residents are not eligible for the tourist VAT refund; it is for visitors taking goods out of the country.
• DSF overlaps with cooler weather, not cold weather. See our winter in Dubai guide for what to actually pack.
• It also overlaps with Dubai’s Christmas season and New Year. See our Christmas markets in Dubai and New Year’s Eve in Dubai guides if you are combining a shopping trip with either.

The tax-free tourist VAT refund, at a glance

Visitors to the UAE (not residents) can reclaim VAT on eligible purchases through the Federal Tax Authority’s tourist refund scheme, run by the operator Planet. In outline: shop at a retailer registered for the scheme, ask for a tax-free tag or invoice at the till, then validate the claim at a self-service kiosk, commonly found at the airport before you check in, before you leave the country. There is a minimum spend per invoice and the refund has a handling fee deducted from it. We could not pull this season’s exact minimum-spend and fee figures from the Federal Tax Authority’s site when we checked, so confirm the current numbers on the Federal Tax Authority’s tourist refund scheme page before you shop if the refund is part of your budgeting.

DSF if you have visiting family

DSF is a good reason for family to time a visit to the UAE: the sales, the lights and the mild evenings all land at once, and the festival falls across National Day, the school winter break and New Year, so there is plenty to do around the shopping itself. If you are bringing parents, siblings or in-laws over on a UAE visit visa for the season, our UAE visa services desk can arrange it before they fly, so the visa is sorted well ahead of the sales.

Frequently asked questions

When is Dubai Shopping Festival 2026-27?

It has been reported as running from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027 (Arabian Business, 15 October 2026). We could not find that window confirmed on an official Visit Dubai page when we checked, so treat it as the latest reported figure until the festival’s own site confirms it.

Is DSF only about shopping discounts?

No. Alongside mall sales, past editions have run raffles, a DSF Nights concert series, fireworks and drone shows, and family markets, though this season’s specific events had not been published when we checked.

How do the DSF raffles work?

Typically you buy a coupon or qualify with a minimum spend at a participating retailer to be entered into a draw for prizes that have historically included gold and cars. Exact terms vary by mall and year, so check in person once the festival opens.

Can tourists get a VAT refund during DSF?

Yes, genuine visitors (not UAE residents) can reclaim VAT on eligible purchases through the Federal Tax Authority’s refund scheme, run by Planet, by validating tax-free invoices at a kiosk before leaving the country. Confirm the current minimum spend and fee on tax.gov.ae.

Which malls have the best DSF discounts?

All of Dubai’s major malls have historically taken part. “Up to” discount figures usually apply to a limited range of stock, so it is worth checking a few prices before the festival starts to judge a genuine markdown from a headline number.

Is DSF good timing for visiting family on a visit visa?

Yes. It overlaps with National Day, the school winter break and New Year, giving visiting family plenty to do beyond the sales, and our UAE visit visa desk can arrange their visa before they travel.

Plan your DSF trip with Holidayys

We run three Dubai stay packages timed for DSF shoppers: the Dubai Shopping Festival Mega Deals package, the Ibis Styles Shopping Spree, and the Dubai Shopping Extravaganza, each pairing a hotel stay with time to shop; check current nights and inclusions on each page. Browse every Dubai stay on our Dubai packages page, or if you are bringing family over for the season, arrange their visa through UAE visa services. Message us on WhatsApp at +971 4 589 0001 or use our contact page to talk through dates and your budget.

Related guides

• Global Village Dubai: tickets, timings and tips
• Dubai Miracle Garden: tickets and how to visit
• Winter in Dubai: weather and what’s on
• Christmas markets in Dubai
• New Year’s Eve in Dubai
• Sheikh Zayed Festival 2026-27

Last checked 4 November 2026. The 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027 window comes from Arabian Business’s reporting of 15 October 2026; we could not find it repeated on an official Visit Dubai or Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism page, and a dedicated DFRE site did not resolve for us. Mall discounts, raffle terms, the DSF Nights line-up, fireworks and drone show dates, and any Hatta or beach events for this season were not published anywhere we could reach, so the descriptions above reflect how recent editions have generally run rather than confirmed 2026-27 details. VAT refund figures should be confirmed on tax.gov.ae. Prices, dates and offers change, so confirm with the festival’s own channels and the mall before you book or shop.