DSF Through the Eyes of a Child

The 21^st edition of Dubai Shopping Festival has not only been offering shoppers from around the world many rewarding experiences but also brought unbridled joy  to little children in the form of thrilling fun rides, cultural dance performances, shows by street artists and carnival-styled games.

DSF 2016 has witnessed children going wild with excitement at both Global Village and the Carnival at THE BEACH. The chilly nights didn’t stop the children from doing what they do best – have fun. The Fantasy Island of Global Village had children arriving in throngs to sample the various games and rides it had on offer – Pendulum Rides, Bumper Cars, Cliffhanger, Drop Tower, Hurricane, Sledge Hammer thrill rides, the Roller Coaster and various train rides.  The screams of the children resounded through the ends of Global Village as the some of the more adventurous rides flung them high in the sky and back down on the ground in a blink of an eye.

Angelo Mary Raphy, from India, seemed like a quiet ten year old, but her choice of fun was the hair-raising rides at Global Village. She pointed out to her favourite ride, which was the sledge hammer thrill ride. “Though we live in Sharjah, we have visited Global Village many times,” she said. “Some of the rides scare me but I am curious and willing to experience them all.”

Two South African brothers visiting Dubai with their parents, were ecstatic to wiggle into the seats of the friendly caterpillar train ride. 7 year old Sahl Carrim said, “It is a dream to sit in the driver’s seat because I can see the tracks and the ride becomes more enjoyable.  The next thing my brother and I want to try is the Ferris Wheel, followed by Boomerang. And no, I’m not scared to be high up in the sky.” Sahl and his 2 year old brother Ziyaad Carrim love taking the rides together. Their wide eyed expressions gave their excitement away.

More towards the cultural main stage, crowds milled to see what stories Globo, the mascot of Global Village, had to share. This year, he brought six friends onto the stage and involved the crowd with happy dance numbers. After the performance, they were seen in their little vehicle greeting children and people alike.

The main stage was also the place where the ‘Dreams’ show and the Fiestaval took place. The Fiestaval took the people to five cultural festivals around the world, from India to Thailand. The ‘Dreams’ show propelled children into a world of imagination as the performers went through the wonders of One Thousand and One Arabian nights, where famous cartoon characters such as the Genie materialised.

The ‘Dreams’ show caught the attention of 3 year old Nigerian, Reme Otoide. She danced to the beat of the music while her 5 year old brother Ose Otoide looked on. She said, while still looking at the stage, “I love everything in this place. But most of all, I love Elsa and ‘Frozen.’ I want to sing ‘Let it Go.’ See, I’m wearing Elsa socks.” She went back to dancing to the enticing music beats.

The excitement seen at Global Village carried through to another part of Dubai, the Carnival on THE BEACH.

The piazza attracted children who were equally thrilled to be part of games and rides. 9 year old Canadian, Ibrahim Khouaja, had just thrown a winning spin and his sister was all smiles. “My favourite activity was playing football on the beach,” he said, while collecting his prize. His sister, 8 year old, Yasmine Khouaja thought that she was in a magical world. “My favourite game is the Doughnut. The soft toys are in the form of huge doughnuts and I want to play that game again.”

Over to the quieter side of Carnival on THE BEACH, where roaming artistes gave impromptu performances, two little girls were eating ice cream while running down the stairs. 6 year old Swedish, Thea Lewerenthz did not allow the cold evening to stop her from enjoying an ice cream. The Lewerenthz family have recently moved from Sweden to Dubai.

Thea said, while the ice cream melted onto her mouth and dress, “I love to come to this part of Dubai because I enjoy eating chocolate ice cream. Now I want go on the slide and then jump on the trampoline.” With that, she turned away to finish the last chunk of the ice cream before heading to the piazza with her mother and cousin.

Organised by the Dubai Festival and Retail Establishment (DFRE,  an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) – DSF 2016, which runs until 1 February, offers fun through games, rides and performances for children, while opening up their eyes to the beauty of Dubai.