DUBAI // Hundreds flocked to Creek Park last night to enjoy a fireworks display, fire dancers and a water show at the launch of the 18th Dubai Shopping Festival.
The theme of the ceremony marking the beginning of the month-long event - this year called "Dubai at its Best" - focused on the history, prosperity, expansion and modernity of Dubai.
The last act depicted the shopping festival's evolution and importance.
Floating tableaus built in the shape of horses to signify the emirate's equestrian past floated down Dubai Creek as dancers swayed to marching music and depicted the heritage of Emirati horsemanship.
"It is a nice opportunity to watch this spectacular show, especially when the weather is so nice," said Yazed Ahmad, a 27-year-old salesman who attended the show with his friends.
Yasmin Mohammed, a 24-year-old accountant, said it was nice to see the Creek and Dubai sky light up to mark this important festival.
"I love the Dubai Shopping Festival because there are a lot of opportunities to do shopping with lesser prices," she said.
The festival's organisers, the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, chose the Creek "because of its special position in the history of Dubai".
"From its humble beginnings as a cluster of pearling settlements on the shores of Dubai Creek, or Khor Dubai, the city has grown in every direction and in all spheres in a short period of time to embrace a vibrant present that makes it the cynosure of the world and a beacon for the best in everything it touches," a statement added.
More than 6,000 stores across Dubai are expected to participate in the festival and offer consumers attractive discounts.
The city will also host activities until February 3 to provide entertainment for the shoppers.
A black light show will be held at the Mall of Emirates this weekend as part of the festivities. The famous Arabic musician, Omar Khairat, will also appear at Dubai World Trade Centre tonight.
The first edition of the festival in 1996 attracted a total of 1.6 million visitors, who spent more than Dh 2.1 billion, the organisers said.
The number of visitors and money spend continued to increase yearly until it reached more than 3.6 million visitors, who spent a total of Dh 15.1 billion in 2011.
There were no available figures regarding the number of visitors or money spent last year.
Margret Rosa, a 34-year-old Filipino administrator who accompanied her two children to Creek Park,tt said the show was entertaining.
"My children loved it and was so full of joy and life," she said.
Firework shows also occurred at the Heritage and Diving Village, Al Seef Street and Festival Promenade to mark the start of the festival.
wissa@thenational.ae
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
TOURNAMENT INFO
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar
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Director: James Cameron
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
SUZUME
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