Dubai Municipality resumes traditional Friday Market

Dubai Municipality has resumed the activities of The market, which will continue until June 31, will be open from 3pm to 11pm only on Fridays of the week.

Khalifa Hareb, Director of Assets Management Department said the Municipality has started receiving national as well as expatriate traders who are returning once again to the market with their commodities and traditional food varieties. The market had stopped its activities in summer after the temperature and humidity level had gone up, he said.

Hareb said the reopening will give the traders great opportunity to benefit from the market, in addition to promoting the Hamriya Central Market as it is also considered to be an effective support for it during the Dubai Shopping Festival 2009 in spite of the high cost and to gauge the customer satisfaction with the market.

He said that a big number of individuals, establishments and companies are participating in the Friday Market this year.

Hareb said that the Friday Market is holding three main activities. "The first activity is local, Gulf, Arab and Indian traditional food items. The second is trading of different commodities sold on competitive prices and the third activity is sale of souvenirs and handicraft items."

Hareb said some heritage organizations are displaying their products, plants, birds, coins and currencies, computer tools and programmes, books, magazines and Quran copies.

He said that Dubai Municipality monitors the products sold in the market, especially the food items, to ensure whether it is safe for consumers and also to avoid price increasing or cheating.

A part of the market area is set aside for selling fruits and vegetables in order to fill up the gap created when the old Hamriya Vegetable Market was shifted. In addition, places are also allotted for sale of toys.

Hareb said that anybody can participate in the market. "If you want to do trade in the market for a week or two, you can go to the Municipality or the administration of Hamriya Central Market before Friday to register. You will be allotted a place in the market, which is divided into 450 small stalls."

"Each stall measures 2X1 metres area, where one person can conduct trade. Individuals can sell anything they wish such as tools, toys, foodstuff, even used items," he added.

Hareb pointed out that participants should erect umbrellas as a protection from sun and rain and also take care of the Hamriya Central Market in general.

He said that there may be big rush of visitors and tourists as it is the Dubai Shopping Festival time.