The sales
• There’s the shopping, of course, with discounts of up to 75 per cent across 3,000 shops on everything imaginable, from gold, perfume, haute-couture fashion brands and electronics to handicrafts and textiles.
The prizes
• There are chances to win all kinds of prizes, from cars and cash to solid gold. Spend Dh200 at any of the participating retailers and enter a draw to win up to Dh1 million in prizes.
The entertainment
• The Welsh National Opera, under the baton of the Chinese conductor Xian Zhang, will make its Dubai debut on Thursday, the first day of the festival. They will perform Kahayla, a large orchestral work by British composer Joanna Marsh that was inspired by the building of the Burj Khalifa, in an open-air concert at Zabeel Park.
•Guest artists: the Indian sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and the Filipino pianist Cecile Licad.
• Every weekend, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre will play host to some of the Arab world’s biggest names in music. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, two stars will take to the stage and each star is scheduled to perform twice throughout the month. Look out for names such as Elissa, Nancy Ajram, Amr Diab, Assi El Helani, Najwa Karam, Ahlam, Hussain Al Jasmi, Mohammed Abdo, Majed Al Mohandes and more.
•The Indian playback singer Arijit Singh, best known for his song Tum Hi Ho in Aashiqui 2, will perform with a 50-piece symphony orchestra on January 15 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
• A Bollywood concert featuring singer Sonu Nigam, along with his 50-member troupe of co-singers, musicians and artists, will perform a four-hour Bollywood musical extravaganza on January 16 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
• Abbati, a show featuring abayas and traditional wear, will be held at the Armani hotel on January 19 and 20, following an exhibition from January 14 to 16. Abbati puts the spotlight on regional and local trends, as showcased by prominent home-grown talents.
• The world premiere of Smurfs Live on Stage will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from January 16 to 19. Each show is 90 minutes long and perfect for families with young children.
• Mamma Mia! is a smash-hit musical seen by more than 54 million people in 39 productions and 14 different languages. From January 2 to 10, it will be at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The award-winning show is the ninth longest-running musical on Broadway.
• Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo will perform Romeo et Juliette, choreographed by Jean-Christoph Maillot and featuring 40 dancers, from January 15 to 17 at Madinat Jumeirah.
• Attend the Dubai International Kite Fest from January 29 to 31, where an attempt will be made to break the Guinness World Record for the most kites flown simultaneously. The bid for the record will be made on the last day.
• Visit www.mydsf.ae for a full calendar of events.
