For this year's Dubai Summer Surprises, Dubai Festival City has prepared an array of activities for children and entertainment for all ages. Together with Dubai Shopping Malls Group, Dubai Festival City will be part of a city-wide promotion, and with more shopping at Dubai Festival City, shoppers have the chance to win AED 500,000 in cash every week. Exciting festivities and major staged events will take place at Dubai Festival City's retail properties: Festival Power Centre and Festival Waterfront Centre during the entire duration of DSS 2007.
Festival Waterfront Centre, located in the heart of Dubai Festival City, is celebrating throughout the year a succession of retail, dining and entertainment openings. Dubai Festival City's 2.1 million sq. ft. retail area comprises Festival Waterfront Centre and Festival Power Centre and over the coming months it will be home to 550 shops, 20 flagship and anchor stores, 90 restaurants and cafés. Additionally, a Skywalk Entertainment level will be home to a 12-screen Grand Cinema Complex, Electronics Collection, Bowling City, a Skywalk food court, Fitness First and Magrudy's.
"Dubai Festival City was a concept envisaged by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, towards the future growth of Dubai as a world-renowned retail and tourism destination," said Omar Al-Futtaim, CEO of Al-Futtaim Group, developer of Dubai Festival City.
Festival Waterfront Centre brings together an extensive array of international fashion boutiques, famous brands and an eclectic variety of shops and services. The Centre's stunning architectural environment and location is the inspiration for many brands to open their first shops in Dubai, including: Anne Klein, ABS, Danier, Guru, JM Weston, Lancel, Lamarthe, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marccain, Nougat of London and Paul Frank.
"The Al Futtaim Group continues to play an important part in the development and promotion of Dubai Summer Surprises. With our participation for the second time in the Dubai Summer Surprises, we are providing a powerful convenient alternative shopping location to Dubai's dynamic retailing landscape,"
said Phil McArthur, Managing Director - Shopping Centres and Commercial Real Estate, Al Futtaim Group.
The first retail district at Dubai Festival City, Festival Power Centre, introduced the 'big box' retail concept to the Middle East. Covering 650,000 sq. ft. it launched in November 2005 with the largest IKEA store in the UAE. Festival Power Centre was completed in May 2006 with the opening of Hyperpanda Hypermarket, Plug-ins ElectroniX, Ace Hardware and a variety of lifestyle and convenience stores. The planned expansion of the Power Centre will see it grow to approximately double its current size.
With the completion of the 13-lane Business Bay Crossing there will be three dedicated ramps into Dubai Festival City, including one which is leading guests directly into the retail resort's basement parking. Also, the progressive opening of bridges, on ramps and road networks, in the coming weeks and months, will make Dubai Festival City one of the most accessible destinations in Dubai. This will be further enhanced with the addition of the new Garhoud Bridge and ongoing improvements to Dubai's infrastructure.
With Dubai International Airport just 2 kilometres away, Dubai Festival City's retail, dining and entertainment resort is set to become the number one first-stop destination for the 15 million tourists anticipated to visit the Emirate by 2010. The unique waterfront setting of Dubai Festival City aims to deliver everything you could imagine in one place.

Posted by Anne-Birte Stensgaard, Senior News Editor



