Summer Surprises is a very popular entertainment and shopping festival in Dubai. It has been held since 1998 and during its existence, "Summer surprises" have become a kind of tourist Mecca.
Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE. It is located in the northwest of the country, on the shores of the Persian Gulf. To further attract tourists, in 1998, a festival was held in Dubai, which has become a tradition.
Initially, the festival was divided into 10 thematic weeks: culinary surprises, floral, adventure, arts, ice, etc. But in 2009 it underwent some changes. Its duration has been reduced and varies from 52 to 30 days. In 2012, the festival was held from June 14 to July 14.
The time for "Summer surprises" is not chosen by chance. The festival usually coincides with the month of Muslim holy Ramadan, regional school holidays and the peak of the summer tourist season.
The exact dates of the festival are announced in advance (in the fall), i.e. more than six months before the start of the event. Anyone wishing to visit the festival Dubai has enough time to prepare for the trip.
Every year "Summer surprises" are held under the invariable slogan "More fun for children". Therefore, in addition to attractive shopping for adults, interesting exhibitions and concerts, colorful shows and costume parades, a varied entertainment and educational program for children is necessarily provided.
The main "bait" of the festival is huge discounts in shopping centers, reaching 70%, and colossal sales, as well as daily lotteries with grand prizes (large sums of money, gold bars, luxury cars and apartments, tourist trips).
Anyone who buys a lottery ticket worth $ 54 or 200 dirhams can become a participant in the lottery. In addition, everyone who purchases in the malls worth AED 200 will receive vouchers to participate in the weekly lottery.
You can get to the festival by purchasing a tour to Dubai from one of the travel agencies. Summer surprises are sponsored by various institutions with the participation of Dubai Airlines, hotels, etc. Therefore, tourists wishing to attend the festival are offered special packages with included visa, flight and accommodation. And all this with impressive discounts up to 70%. During the Summer Surprises, many five-star hotels offer their rooms at the price of a three-star.
Special tours for the festival usually include air travel, transfer to and from the hotel, accommodation, meals (breakfasts), as well as concerts, competitions, exhibitions held in shopping centers. It is better to book tours with accommodation in the most popular hotels in advance, a month and a half before the trip. Tickets for famous artists' concerts and fashionable musicals that are shown during the festival are purchased directly in Dubai.
You can visit the Arab Emirates on your own. To do this, you need to collect and submit a package of documents for obtaining a visa. It includes two 3x4 photographs, an insurance policy, a job certificate or letter from the sponsor of the trip, and a completed application form. To obtain a visa, you should contact the travel companies at your place of residence. The visa processing time is 5 working days (weekends in the UAE government agencies are Thursday and Friday).
Tourist visas to the United Arab Emirates are opened by the immigration office. They work with travel companies and hotels registered directly in the UAE. Visa requests from individuals are usually refused.
