Since opening in 2007, Dubai Festival City Mall has been a popular shopping destination for both locals and tourists.
Home to over 400 brands, including Coach, DKNY, H&M, Kate Spade, Marks & Spencer, and Zara, and with an IKEA store to boot, there is no doubt you’ll find whatever you’re looking for at this mall.
However, Dubai Festival City Mall is more than just a place where you can shop. The mall is also a well-known hub for recreation and entertainment in Dubai, so you definitely won’t run out of fun things to do every time you come here.
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6 Ways to Have a Great Time at the Dubai Festival City Mall
Even though shopping is the most enjoyable and rewarding thing you can do at the Dubai Festival City Mall, the following activities won’t fail to give you a great time, too:
1. Eat your way around the world.
Indulging in amazing eats can just be as fun and satisfying as shopping. And with the numerous dining options at Dubai Festival City Mall , it can even be as exciting.
Whether you’re craving American, British, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mediterranean, Mexican, or Turkish food, you’ll have plenty of restaurants to choose from in Dubai Festival City Mall.
From well-known chains such as P.F. Chang’s, The Cheesecake Factory, and Zaatar W Zeit, to local gems, including Maras Turka Café, Café Bateel, and The Climbing Goat, you don’t have to leave Dubai to eat your way around the world.
If you want to sample local food, head to Al Fanar Restaurant and Café, where you can indulge in authentic savoury and sweet Emirati offerings that make this cuisine one of a kind in the world.
The variety of dining establishments at this mall ensures you’ll always have a place to go where you can explore a new cuisine or indulge in your go-to comfort food.
2. Enjoy a spa day.
If you want an alternative to retail therapy or you’re looking for another way to relax whenever you go to the mall, you can always reward yourself with a spa day at the Dubai Festival City Mall.
Get the complete pampering experience at one of the spas and beauty salons at the mall. Here, you can get a mani and pedi, facial, foot spa, haircut, and other services or treatments if you want to feel better inside and out.
If you have plenty of time to spare, you might want to try other treatments for a glowing makeover. These include waxing, threading, and eyelash extensions.
Don’t forget to book a massage to de-stress and let go of any tension you’ve been feeling.
3. See a movie.
Spending at least a couple of hours in a cool room, sitting on a comfy seat, eating popcorn and sipping your favourite soda, and watching your chosen movie from the latest Hollywood or Bollywood films is definitely one of the best things you can do at the mall.
Watching a movie helps you unwind, forget your worries, and escape reality. It is always a great way to spend time at the mall.
You can even elevate your movie-watching experience at Dubai Festival City Mall by trying one of its modern and luxurious theatres.
Novo Cinemas has 18 movie theatres, including the city’s only IMAX screen and MX4D cinema.
Novo Cinemas also has a private VIP lounge that features luxurious reclining leather seats, pillows, and a gourmet dining menu. There are wait staff who will attend to you whenever you order something as well.
Watching a movie at the private VIP lounge is a fantastic way to reward yourself and have a more enjoyable time when you go to the mall.
4. Watch a record-breaking fountain show.
If you’re planning on staying at the mall from opening to closing, or going here at night, make sure you catch IMAGINE, a multisensory laser, light, and water show. You can watch it at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall’s outdoor dining and entertainment area.
IMAGINE is a dancing fountain show using advanced light and sound effects and pyrotechnics featuring various moving stories, mostly Arabic traditional tales.
The high-powered lasers, light and fire displays, water screens, fountains, and projections give all viewers an incredible immersive experience that will leave you wanting more.
Another great thing about watching IMAGINE is that you can indulge in your choice of dinner, snack, or beverage as you sit back and enjoy the show.
The renowned multisensory display is shown every hour, from seven at night until midnight.
5. Learn new freestyle moves (or polish your existing ones).
Dubai’s premier mall also has a place where you can let your adventurous side out: BOUNCE-X.
BOUNCE-X is the first indoor freestyle terrain park in the United Arab Emirates. The two-story park features several free run areas, giant trampolines and airbags, slides, and trapezes.
The freestyle terrain park also has a dodgeball arena, ninja courses, and parkour elements.
To try or practise your parkour and freestyle skills, head to the half-pipe trampoline, Infinity Wall, and Freerun, the largest indoor parkour area in the region.
Other must-try activities here include shooting a basketball while bouncing on a giant trampoline (Slam Dunk) and wall running on the Wall.
If you want your visit to Dubai Festival City Mall to be a bit more exciting, you won’t go wrong with hanging out at BOUNCE-X.
6. Experience being a pilot.
Dream Aero is another unique and must-visit attraction in Dubai Festival City Mall. It features the first Full Motion Flight Simulator in the UAE, which is similar to the technology many professional pilots use during their training.
On Dream Aero, you can step inside the cockpit of a Boeing 737 airliner that has been outfitted with a detailed visualization system, including a panoramic display and flying routes.
Once inside the cockpit, you can sit on the captain’s and second pilot’s seats and learn about the different controls. An instructor will walk you through handling the panel during take-off and landing, and following a flight path to your chosen destination.
For a more exciting experience, try flying and landing the plane under unfavourable weather conditions.
There are more activities you can add to your regular set of to-do list whenever you go to the Dubai Festival City Mall.
By adding variety to your activities, you’ll have more fun and enjoy every minute you spend at the mall.