Now it's the time for you to fasten your seat belts as Dubai is warming up to have you at its huge, sprawling Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), a period of non-stop festivities for 32 days from January 24 to February 24, 2008. This time DSF is going to focus on three elements that have come to characterize the annual event - Shopping, Winning and Family Entertainment.

On February 15, 1996, the travel industry in the Middle East heralded the beginning of a new dawn - the birth of the most impressive shopping cum entertainment mega event. An entirely new concept, it succeeded brilliantly in showcasing what co-operation between private sector and public sector could do to create a mind-boggling achievement.

Dubai is currently the hot place to shop, and the best time of year for shopaholics to visit is during the huge, sprawling Dubai Shopping Festival For a whole month, reductions are offered across a vast range of must-haves, from jewellery to fashion wear, electrical goods and carpets, to a lively backdrop of cultural events.

Initially, Dubai Shopping Festival was conceived as a pure retail event, the primary aim of which was to revitalise the retail trade in Dubai. It was later developed into a comprehensive tourism product in line with Dubai's far-sighted stance to set global standards in every field

Along the lines of the stature that Dubai has achieved with its clarity of vision, innovation, initiative and drive, the Festival was shaped under the committed leadership of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

As months of preparations went into creating Dubai Shopping Festival, the shopping festival matured into a major retailing cum entertainment extravaganza. The rest is history Shopping Mall .

Today, one of the biggest beneficiaries of the event is the tourism sector. Hotels, travel agents and tour operators contribute to the selling of the event worldwide and it would be fair to assume, run at the peak levels of operation during the event.

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Every year, Dubai Shopping Festival lives up to its promise of staging the most exciting activities for the whole family inspired by the theme One World, One Family, One Festival. As universal brotherhood, happiness, excitement, joy and adventure became the signature trademarks of Dubai Shopping Festival, the Festival itself became a tribute to the inherent ambition and strength of the people of the United Arab Emirates. Local and multinational brands acknowledged their faith in the event, and brands like Visa, Pepsi and Emirates Airlines became partners to DSF's growth.

DSF 2008 events are generally categorized into Signature events, Weekend Packages, and Global Village Events. It also have numerous other attractions.

Signature events consist of the opening ceremony, Dubai Fashion, Food Festival, Dubai Carnivals, World Records, Fireworks Festival, Music Festival, and the Closing ceremony. Each of these events is hugely popular among regular DSF visitors with numerous new additions slated for DSF 2008.

Weekend Packages aim to provide the maximum entertainment possibilities by organising a major event highlight during the weekends between Thursdays and Saturdays making it convenient and attractive for visiting and resident families to enjoy a fun-packed weekend in Dubai.

Global Village Events consists of all events being organised in Global Village such as the House of Talents, a platform for gifted women to showcase their talents and skills; and Bazaars of the World that features the best of souqs from around the world.

Visitor's Information
This year DSF 2008 brings the world famous Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev to Dubai

DSF, 2008 edition is all set to take thousands of enthusiasts through a three-day holistic sojourn as Swami Ramdev conducts the yoga camp. This yoga camp will be conducted at the Airport Expo Dubai, between 6.00 am and 8.30 am, from 25 to 27 January, 2008.

More than 8000 people from across the Middle East region are expected to attend the Swami Ramdev ji's class that will focus on yogic postures with the breathing techniques as Pranayama, and meditation. According to Swami Ramdev, the human body is composed of five elements- space of vacuum, air, fire, water and earth. Air is the most important, as it is the life force that keeps the body alive. This air, when inhaled during breathing, is called Prana. Pranayama includes the techniques that control this life force.

Swami Ramdev puts equal emphasis on mediation and believes that, "through Pranayama and meditation, we attain a transcendental state of consciousness where the mind is free from thoughts or impressions. In this state, our nervous system releases good hormones which help to reduce stress and stress related conditions like hypertension, depression, heart diseases, hormonal imbalances etc."