The city of Dubai is poised for the ninth edition of the annual Dubai Summer Surprises event which has changed the preconceived concept of summer in the UAE and the region from a sluggish to an…
The city of Dubai is poised for the ninth edition of the annual Dubai Summer Surprises event which has changed the preconceived concept of summer in the UAE and the region from a sluggish to an exciting season of fun and entertainment for all under the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
As the DSS coincides with summer vacations in schools, children are the focus of the event and just like every year DSS 2006 too comes with a promise of ‘Big Fun for Little Ones’ with all the major activities revolving around the youngsters at the air-conditioned shopping malls when the DSS rolls on June 21, 2006 and continues with its 10 powerful surprises until September 1, 2006. Modhesh, the endearing yellow mascot of the festival will be back in town yet again with the themed weekly surprises.
There will be a lot to do, a lot to see and a lot to experience this summer when Dubai gets into the spirit of the summer event. While the entire city of Dubai will get into the holiday mood to celebrate a summer extravaganza, the epicenter of the action will be the various state-of-the-art shopping malls and the Modhesh Fun City that gears up to enthrall the little ones with a host of events. Why just children even adults can have their share of fun with a string of exciting events designed especially for them as well as loads of shopping and entertaining opportunities for the not-so-young.
Since its launch in 1998, the DSS success story continues into this ninth edition and promises a larger turnout of visitors and expenditure from its first year figures of 600,000 visitors and an expenditure of Dh850 million which went up to 1.51 million visitors and Dh 1.72 billion expenditure in 2005.
Said Laila Suhail, DSS Executive Project Director, “What makes DSS so special is the way it operates resulting in a smooth functioning event that offers something for everyone. The priority with the Organising Committee made up of various Government Departments is to introduce variety into the various events of DSS as we strive to bring fresh and new ideas to appeal to a greater spectrum of visitors. Our objective is to provide wholesome entertainment to all the families with newer ideas every year to keep the visitor interest alive,” she said.
Added Laila, “This eight-year-old initiative of the Dubai Government in attracting tourism and trade during the lean summer months can be attributed to the successful cooperation of the Government Departments and the private sector who work hand-in-hand in organising the mammoth event. Besides, the annual extravaganza also provides a creative diversion to the various Government Departments who get the opportunity to do something different to serve the society at large,” she said.
“We have always focused on making DSS a family event with special attention to the kids’ activities. The annual summer event attempts to cover all shopping malls and will prove to be a very good opportunity to showcase the new malls that have been recently added in the glittering list of Dubai malls. We intend to host big events in these malls to attract crowds from different cross-sections of society,” assured Laila.
The DSS Executive Project Director expressed her happiness with the early preparations for DSS 2006 which she feels will be different from the previous editions due to the great support and high moral of the various surprises teams pitching in to make this yet another wonderful summer of surprises. “As the time of DSS nears, Dubai gears up to welcome all visitors to give them an experience of a lifetime,” she said.
DSS 2006 opens with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority-organised Ice Surprises week on June 21 and continue with the weekly themes including the Arts Surprises organised by Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department from June 29 to July 5; International Food Surprises from July 6 to July 12, which is organised by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing who are also behind the DSS road shows held in GCC and other countries; Adventure Surprises organised by Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS) from July 13 to 19; Cartoon Surprises organised by Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) from July 20-26; Nature Surprises organised by Dubai Police from July 27 to August 2; Knowledge Surprises organised by Land Department from August 3 to 9; Flower Surprises organised by Dubai Municipality from August 10 to 16; Heritage Surprises organised by Dubai Ports Customs and Free Zone Corporation from August 17 to 23 and the Department of Economic Development-organised Back-to-School surprises from August 24 to September 1.
Besides the above 10, the other Dubai Government departments and establishments participating and organizing different DSS activities are Dubai Media Incorporated, Real Estate Department, Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, Dubai e-Government, Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department and Civil Defence.
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