The 32nd Dubai Shopping Festival 2026 runs from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027, a 45-day season, according to Visit Dubai’s official festival page.
On 28 October 2026 we checked that page, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism newsroom and the Federal Tax Authority.
The dates are official. The programme is not.
That gap sets the plan below. We separate what is confirmed from what is still open, and we explain the tourist VAT refund, which follows fixed rules whatever the programme brings.
Dubai Shopping Festival 2026 at a glance
| Item | What the official sources say |
|---|---|
| Edition | 32nd |
| Dates | 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027 |
| Length | 45 days |
| Organiser | Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) |
| Where | Citywide |
| Confirmed events | Five, named in the next section |
| Not yet announced | Concerts, drone and firework shows, raffle prizes and rules, sale dates |
| Last checked | 28 October 2026 |
DFRE is an agency of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. TradeArabia reported on 14 October that DFRE would announce the full programme in the coming month.
What the festival has confirmed so far
Visit Dubai names five events under the festival, each with one line of description. Here they are in the page’s order.
- etisalat DSF Nights Vol. 3: nonstop entertainment at Dubai Festival City Mall.
- DSF x Hatta Wadi Hub: food, fun and relaxation for the family.
- etisalat Beach Canteen: food, fun and activities by the beach.
- DSF Auto Season: cars, bikes, craftsmanship and speed.
- etisalat MOTB Season 14: the outdoor festival returns for a 14th season.
DSF Nights is held at Dubai Festival City Mall. The mall’s own website shows 10am to 10pm from Monday to Thursday and 10am to 12am from Friday to Sunday. Food outlets stay open until 11pm on weekdays.
That page gives no festival-season hours, and its header banners quote different times. Call the mall on +971 800 332 before a late visit. The hours were read on 28 October 2026.
Only the Beach Canteen has dates so far. Visit Dubai’s events calendar gives 10 to 27 December at Sunset Beach Jumeirah and marks it a free event. Opening times are not shown.
Emirates 24|7 named Nessnass Beach instead. We follow Visit Dubai, whose event page names Sunset Beach Jumeirah. The other four events have no dates on the pages we read.
What the returning events looked like last season
Three of the five confirmed events also ran last season, and the Beach Canteen is new to the festival, according to TradeArabia. The DET release for the 31st edition shows the format of the three, not their 2026-27 content.
- MOTB: an open-air hub at the Dubai Design District with 27 new food vendors, 56 retail concepts and free concerts.
- DSF x Hatta: family evenings with Hatta Lights trails, outdoor concerts, gourmet pop-ups, fireworks and kids’ activities.
- DSF Auto Season: more than a car showcase, pitched as a place for motoring enthusiasts to meet.
Sponsor names change. DET’s 2025 release wrote e& MOTB, and Visit Dubai now writes etisalat MOTB.
What has not been announced yet
No official source we found gives the opening concerts, the drone and firework shows, the raffle prizes or the sale dates for 2026-27. Treat any page that states them as a guess or a repeat of last year.
Last year’s release shows what such an announcement can hold. The DFRE release for the 31st edition, dated 2 September 2025, named opening weekend concerts and a show of 1,000+ drones, including 100 pyro drones. It also named over 1,000 retailers. None of that is promised for this season.
DET also publishes a monthly Dubai Calendar release, the latest on 20 October for November. Detail on the festival may appear there, or on @dubaifestivals, which Visit Dubai names as its real-time channel.
How the 32nd edition compares with the 31st
| Item | 31st edition | 32nd edition |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | 5 December 2025 to 11 January 2026 | 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027 |
| Length | 38 days | 45 days |
| Dates public by | 2 September 2025, in a DET release | 14 October 2026, in a TradeArabia report |
| Named in the announcement | Opening concerts, drone and firework shows, Auto Season, MOTB, Hatta | DSF Nights, Hatta Wadi Hub, Beach Canteen, Auto Season, MOTB |
By our count from the two sets of dates, the new season is seven days longer. Dates also came later this year. At the same point, the programme is thinner than the one DET published for the 31st edition.
Raffles and prizes: what is on record
Visit Dubai’s raffle page promises grand raffles and mega prize draws, with brand new cars and thousands of dirhams in cash. The page still carries a 2025-26 title, so it may describe last season.
TradeArabia reported that shoppers won more than AED 11 million in prizes in the previous edition. We found no 2026-27 prize list, entry rule or ticket price. Read the terms posted by each mall or brand before you enter.
Tourist VAT refunds: the rules that do not change
Tourists can claim back VAT on purchases from retailers registered with Planet under the Tourist Refund Scheme. The Federal Tax Authority sets a minimum of AED 250 per transaction before VAT, validation within 90 days of the invoice, and a deduction of 13% of the VAT plus AED 3.60.
- Who: visitors who entered on a tourist visa, aged 18 or over and not UAE residents.
- Where to shop: only retailers registered with Planet. Ask for a tax-free transaction at the till.
- Validate: within 90 days of the tax invoice date. You must then leave the UAE within 6 hours, or the approval is cancelled.
- Where to validate: Planet kiosks at exit points, at some malls or hotels if your flight is within 24 hours, or manned desks if you leave within 6 hours.
- Bring: your original passport or GCC national ID, since copies are not accepted, plus the goods if asked and a ticket or confirmed booking.
- Payout: cash comes from partner exchange offices after immigration, capped at AED 35,000. Card refunds have no cap.
- Deadline: the refund request must follow within one year of validation.
Here is our sum on those terms. A purchase of AED 2,100 including 5% VAT carries AED 100 of VAT, according to the u.ae VAT rate. The 13% deduction takes AED 13 and the fee takes AED 3.60, leaving about AED 83.
The u.ae page tells a different story on fees. It gives 85% of the VAT after AED 4.80 per tag, and it was updated on 30 March 2026. The FTA page was updated on 25 August 2026, so we use its figures.
Are the sales real? What residents have said
No official discount list exists for 2026-27, so we cannot say how deep the cuts will be. Residents have questioned DSF pricing in past years, and a poster told a visitor how the sums can work.
“It goes like this: Item Price before DSF = AED 200 Item Price during DSF = AED 400 50% Discount during DSF = AED 200 “Savings” after DSF = AED 200”
– r/dubai, October 2022 (3 upvotes)
A commenter on a January 2023 thread made a similar point.
“Items that are overpriced a month prior festival season are sold back to normal prices.”
– r/dubai, January 2023 (6 upvotes)
These are single-poster claims from past seasons. We have not tested them and have no price comparison of our own. The check they suggest is cheap: note the price of anything you plan to buy before 4 December, then compare it with the festival price.
Planning around the dates
UAE National Day, on 2 December, comes two days before the opening, and our UAE National Day guide covers that holiday first. School pupils break up on 14 December, as our UAE school winter break 2026 guide explains. For malls and souks, see our Shopping in Dubai guide.
Evenings in the malls are busy. For fares and passes, our Dubai Metro fare guide helps you plan the trip. A traveller who went last season described the mood in a post on r/dubaitravelers.
“Before my trip, I assumed the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) was only about discounts and malls. But it was like a festival in Dubai. I was there during DSF, and evenings felt like events. Malls were packed late at night, outdoor areas had so many fun pop-up s…”
– r/dubaitravelers, previous season, excerpt (3 upvotes)
That is one traveller’s account of a past edition, not a forecast. We will add the programme once DFRE publishes it, and we will date every change.
Questions about the Dubai Shopping Festival
When is the Dubai Shopping Festival 2026?
The Dubai Shopping Festival 2026 starts on 4 December 2026 and ends on 17 January 2027, according to Visit Dubai. That is 45 days of events across the city.
When will the full programme be announced?
TradeArabia reported on 14 October 2026 that DFRE would announce it in the coming month. We have not found a firm date, so check the DSF channels.
What time does Dubai Festival City Mall close?
On its own website the mall closes at 10pm from Monday to Thursday and at 12am from Friday to Sunday. Festival-season hours have not been published, so confirm before you go.
Is there an entry ticket for the festival?
We found no festival-wide ticket. Visit Dubai calls the festival citywide, and the Beach Canteen is a free event. Check each event’s own page for tickets.
Can tourists get VAT back on festival purchases?
Yes, if the retailer is registered with Planet. The minimum is AED 250 per transaction before VAT, and the FTA deducts 13% of the VAT plus AED 3.60.
How much is a raffle ticket?
No official price or entry rule has been published for 2026-27. Visit Dubai’s raffle page, still headed 2025-26, gives no ticket price.
