The Dubai Mall’s shopping choices and leisure spectacles draw in festive crowds

1. Festival@The Dubai Mall draws visitors from around the country
2. The Dubai Fountain and Dubai Aquarium draw in repeat visits

It was a surreal moment: Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, basks in the orange rays of the evening sun; hundreds of people representing a cross-section of the world’s different communities throng The Dubai Mall Waterfront Promenade, and The Dubai Fountain sways to the tune of a chart-busting Bollywood song…

The song reaches its crescendo, marked by swift rhythms and galloping beats, and the water fountain matches the energy sprouting large jets of water in the air.

The spectators applaud. The music-water display of the fountain, currently in the testing phase, is only part of the attractions that await visitors to the Festival@The Dubai Mall.

The buzz by the Waterfront promenade is matched inside the mall, with visitors crowding at the Star Atrium awaiting results of the daily Win Millions raffle.

Kevin Snelgrove and Sabrina Machel from Canada are among the visitors. Kevin is only one month now in Dubai, and they have been discovering the mall at leisure. “It is huge; there is everything you need here,” says Sabrina.

Tayanita is chasing balloons at the Star Atrium. Her parents Roderick Planken and Ann Mary watch the little one with a smile, as The Jumpers, a performing group, come by, adding to the cheer of the moment.

The Plankens like the feeling of space that the mall offers, and they are regular visitors. “The choice is good here,” says Ann Mary, on the diverse spread of retail stores that now offer bargain deals as part of the Festival@The Dubai Mall.

By the fountain are seven Filipino friends, three of them having come down from Ras Al Khaimah to see the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo at the mall. The testing of The Dubai Fountain was an added bonus for them.

Nome Namoc, who assumed the role of the spokesperson for the team, said they will return to the mall very soon. “There is so much here… the aquarium, the shops, the ice-rink and the fountain…”

She and her friends, Erwin Enríquez, Adora Santos, Anna Liza Tabano, Engleine Tuazon, Ma Lou Torres and Bhe Castillo, have been at the mall for more than four hours, and haven’t realised how quickly time flies. “The mall is amazing,” says Adora.

That is the sentiment shared by thousands of visitors, who have the leisure incentives of the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, Dubai Ice-Rink and The Waterfall. The testing of The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain, adds to the allure.

The Festival@The Dubai Mall will continue through May 29, offering millions in cash prizes through daily, weekly and grand raffles. Visitors can also take part in the Bid 2 Win auction every weekend and buy coupons for the Grand Bentley raffle.