OG Dubai folks know that Dubai summers can be so fun! The city really knows how to exceed expectations with all the fun indoor activities that go on.

And with the Dubai Summer Surprises in full swing, the excitement never stops! Here’s an insider guide on all the fun things and great shopping deals you need to keep an eye out for…

Dubai Summer Surprises are back to make summer a lot cooler for the whole family with this fab lineup of events. Keep scrolling to see all the things you can get up to!

9. Embark on a culinary journey like never before with Summer Restaurant Week

Attention Foodies! Come enjoy top-notch dining deals with the Summer Restaurant Week. Choose from a selection of set menus and special offers at 60 of Dubai’s leading restaurants.

The participating restaurants will offer two-course lunches from AED 95, three-course dinners from AED 150-AED 250, and exclusive kids’ menus for just AED 35, so whether you go out with the family or with friends, you’ll find a well-priced option to enjoy.

Find the complete list of restaurants here!

Where? Restaurants across the city

When? August 18 to 27

Price? 2-course lunches for just AED 95, 3-course dinners from AED 150, and Kids’ menus for AED 35

8. Kids go free at some of the hottest spots in the city

Fun is where the fam is!

This summer there’s loads of Kids Go Free offers at the city’s top addresses and attractions. Whether you’re looking for total luxury in the most eye-catching hotspots, heading for the shoreline to soak up the sun, sea and sand, or eager to explore the city’s hottest new activities, these incredible offers will leave you spoilt for choice. Almost 80 different venues are participating – and your little ones get to go free when you purchase tickets or book a stay for yourself.

Some of the offers:

• At the Top, Burj Khalifa– 2 children (below 2 years)- 8 am to 4 pm only.
• AYA Universe– Kids 12 and below can enjoy a complimentary visit to AYA for every paying adult guest.
• Reel Cinemas– Every paying adult (up to 2) will get a free ticket for children, a maximum of 2 children for each transaction.

Find out more offers and locations here!

7. The summer experience is incomplete without Beat The Heat Concerts

Some of the best Arab talent is heading to Dubai this August including Egyptian fusion band Sharmoofers, Jordanian indie band Autostradover and Saudi sensation Modi AlShamrani. Plus, on the first day of September get ready to jam out during the last concert in the Beat The Heat indoor series.

• Sharmoofers and Autostrad- August 12 | Book here
• Modi Al Shamrani and DJ Aseel- August 19 | Book here 
• Disco Misr and Massar Egbari- September 1 | Book here

Where? The Agenda, Dubai Media City

When? Doors open at 6:30 pm, concert starts at 8 pm

6. Some major celebrations and pop-ups are happening in malls around Dubai

Dubai Festival City Mall

The kiddos are gonna love this!

• Catch Shaun the Sheep until August 13
• Cartoon Network will be here until September 3
• Learn something new at the free SKILL Lab workshops on soap making and painting in plaster on August 16 and 30 respectively.  

Mercato mall

• Watch the Arctic Cirque until August 22.
• Shoppers, spend above AED 200 and you could go home with a brand new Cadillac Escalade Sport 2023 at the end of DSS. 
• And of course, don’t forget to check out the iconic Mercato Mall slide.
• More deets here!

City Centre Deira

• Until August 13, spend AED 300 and stand a chance to win four flight tickets and four-night hotel accommodations! Head over to the “Shop and Fly” set with your receipt and submit your dream destination.

Check it all out here!

City Centre Mirdif

• Unlock the Suitcase of Surprises for a chance to win valuable prizes. Just shop AED 200 from any store! (excluding Carrefour) Catch the suitcase here until August 10!
• Join your kids to watch PJ Masks live on stage, or spend AED 200 (excluding Carrefour) for a meet and greet with PJ Masks Characters on August 17-28!

All the details here

Mall of the Emirates

• Spend AED200 or more at the mall (excluding Carrefour) from August 12 to Aug 22 and head to the big suitcase structure.
• Eligible shoppers will get the chance to unlock the suitcase and walk away with amazing goodies.

Outlet Village

• The Outlet Village will be offering a variety of activities to entertain the mall visitors from exclusive offers to fashion shows revealing summer trends and styles every weekend.
• When? 4 pm to 10 pm, Until September 1

5. You can’t say no to spending quality time with Modesh and Dana

Summer in Dubai is always a blast at Modesh World! The free-to-enter indoor ‘edutainment’ destination boasts an array of themed games, learning zones, an ice cream museum and loads of fun activities for kids of all ages.

When? Until August 27; Where? Halls 3-8, Dubai World Trade Centre

More deets here!

Travelling into the country? Meet Modesh and Dana at the airport

Until September 3, the duo will greet travelling families with their children at the airport and warmly welcome them to enjoy Dubai’s summer events! Also, keep an eye out for a 3D anamorphic billboard featuring Modesh and Dana with Smurfs taking selfies at select locations including Modesh World, DPR Smurfs village, Waterpark, Mall of the Emirates at Ski Dubai and the Burj Khalifa.

4. These back-to-school offers will have your little ones all pumped for the new term

Going back into school life is definitely not easy, but with all the awesome offers out there, you can definitely help your little ones make a more stylish comeback!

• • Spend just AED 1,000 at Jumbo Electronics or jumbo.ae for a chance to win AED 25,000 to use towards your child’s school fees. Plus, you could take home daily prizes including a laptop every day until Sept 3, cool tech gifts, and enjoy discounts on even more gizmos.
  • At Pan Home, a spend of AED 1,000 in-store or online until Aug 31 gives you a chance to win a scholarship worth AED 30,000. Need more reasons to shop? Discover discounts of 70% off all products and an amazing Back to School collection!
  • Shop at Emax until Sept 15 and all GenZ Student Privilege Card holders get exclusive prices on laptops. Other deals include an AED 100 voucher, gifts worth up to AED 500, and flexible installment plans on your purchases.
  • Try your luck at the Back to School Raffle Campaign. Spend above AED 200 at any participating mall and you could win prizes up to AED 100,000!  
  • Spend AED 200 at participating Nakheel Malls (Ibn Battuta, Circle Mall or at any one of the seven Nakheel Pavilions at International City, Discovery Garden, Al Furjan, Al Furjan West, Jumeirah Island, Jumeirah Park & Jumeirah Park East) until Sept 3, to be one of the 15 winners of incredible Modesh scholarships worth AED 20,000 each.
  • Get all the info here!

3. These DSS shopping offers, deals and discounts are too good to miss out

1. Lucky Receipt

Spend AED300+ in the 10 participating brands until August 16 for a chance to get the daily lucky receipt! 10 prizes to be won each day, over 10 days so there will be 100 winners in all! Participating brands include Emax, Jawhara, Sharaf DG, The Watch House, Eros, Virgin MegaStore, Home Box, Mom Store, OC Home, and Arabian Oud.

The prizes are amazing too –  Apple watches, luxury watches, luxe fragrances, diamond necklaces, Dyson vacuums, air fryers, dining sets, Kikaboo baby stroller sets, and home accessories.

2. Home fest with Home Centre

Shop at any Home Centre store in Dubai for AED 1000+ and stand a chance to win a room makeover of 10,000 AED or a home makeover worth AED 20,000. Valid until August 13. 

3. Save more shop more with Seddiqui

Get 25% off any single purchase of a watch or accessory. Shop more for bigger savings with up to 30% off when you take home two or more items from any single shopping trip. Until September 3.

Participating stores: 1915 by Seddiqi & Sons at BurJuman and Dubai Marina Mall, Seddiqi & Sons store at Dubai Mall and City Centre Mirdif, Guess Watches Boutique at Mall of the Emirates, Guess and Gc Boutique stores at City Centre Deira, Guess Boutique at BurJuman.

4. DSS Sales season

Make the most of the spectacular sales and discounts on fashion, beauty, interior, electronics and lifestyle brands at stores across the city. Shoppers will enjoy jaw-dropping discounts of 25%-75% at over 800 top brands across 3,500 outlets. Until September 3.

5. DSS SHARE millionaire

Five lucky shoppers will each win one million SHARE points to spend on their next shopping trip.To enter all you have to do is spend AED 300 or more in a single or cumulative spend at Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira, City Centre Me’aisem and City Centre Al Shindagha using your SHARE App until September 3 to put your name in the hat.

6. Unforgettable Summer with Blue

Use your Blue Rewards app when shopping at Dubai Festival City Mall to go into the draw to win 1 million Blue Rewards points weekly until September 3.

7. Beat the clock this DSS with Rivoli 

One of the easiest ways to update your look is with a watch or eyewear, so head down to Rivoli for your favourite items. Cash in on mega deals on luxury watches and eyewear at participating Rivoli, Rivoli EyeZone, Hour Choice, and Style88 stores. Between August 25 and 27, shop at these stores and you could be among the 35 winners to snag Rivoli gift vouchers worth up to AED 60,000!

Fri Aug 25- Sun Aug 27. At participating Rivoli, Rivoli EyeZone, Hour Choice and Style88 stores.

All the information here!

2. Big names are coming to perform live at the Coca-Cola Arena

No better way to end a good summer than some mindblowing live concerts and plays. Dubai is surely emerging as a global stage for international performances…

Live concerts at the Coca-Cola Arena: 

• Sundance DXB Vol 3 – August 26 | 4 pm onwards

Sundance DXB is back for Vol 3, this time bigger and better than before. The musical extravaganza will see headliners Don Diablo and Yellow Claw raise the roof! Book here.

• Farhan Akhtar Live- Sept 1 | 7:30 pm (doors open) 

Indian actor, singer and director Farhan Akhtar is guaranteeing fans of Hindi music a night they’ll never forget. Book here.

• Jah Khalib Live – Sept 3 | 7 pm onwards (doors open) 

After sold-out concerts worldwide, Kazakh rapper Jah Khalib is coming to make you groove. Book here.

1. Even more shows on during the closing weekend of DSS

 

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• Get Ready for Room #13

Get your tickets to the play,  Room #13 Sheikh at Rashid Hall at the Dubai World Trade Centre for a humour-filled evening. Room #13 stars Ahmed Al-Aounan, Abdel Nasser Darwish, Sultan Al-Faraj, Hussein Al-Mahdi, Youssef Al-Hashash, Bashar Al-Jazzaf, Manal Al-Jarallah, Areej Al-Attar and Samah.

When? September 1 and 2; Where? Dubai Trade Center Rashid Hall; Time? 8:30 pm to 11 pm

Book here.

• Watch Joanne McNally Live 

Irish stand-up comedienne Joanne McNally is making her way to Dubai for one night only. Tickets for this show on 2 September at The Agenda are on sale now for AED295, so book today to avoid disappointment.

Book here.