The Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (Depe) on Saturday announced the major highlights of the fourteenth edition of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) at an entertainment packed event held at Mirdif City Centre.

Unveiling the DSS programme calender, Depe officials said it will host the most number of international cartoon characters shows in the region this summer.

The three-hour event at Mirdif City Centre featured a variety of shows and performances along with educational and entertaining activities.

It gave attending media and their children a snapshot of what to expect through 40 days of spectacular shopping, entertainment, and winning, said the festival organisers Depe.

Starting off with a children’s show by the ever-smiling character Modhesh, an exciting line-up of DSS events was unveiled through a short presentation.

A face-painting corner and the presence of cartoon characters had children entertained throughout. To top it all, all those gathered were treated to a screening of the animated movie Winnie the Pooh at the cinemas in Mirdif City Centre, which is part of Majid Al Futtaim Properties, a Depe 2011 Festivals strategic partner.   

Children were also gifted goody bags containing vouchers from Magic Planet, California Pizza Kitchen, iFLY, Soccer Circus, and Little Explorers.     

Mirdif City Centre events
Mirdif City Centre plays host to Ben 10 – the popular live cartoon stage show this DSS. Performances are set to take place in the mall’s Central Galleria from the 24th to 30th June – three times a day, at 4.30pm, 5.30pm, and 7.30pm.

Circus Africa, a performance show demonstrating the African continent and its people will also be on display in the mall’s Central Galleria from July 7 to 16. Presenting skillful acrobatics, music and African dances, shoppers will be treated to unique Unicycle, Adagio, and Diabolo acts.

iFLY will also showcase a 5-minute presentation at the mall every Thursday at 6pm and 9pm and every Friday and Saturday at 3pm, 6pm and 9pm during DSS.

Shoppers can also witness astonishing tricks as the individual is thrust into the air amidst the world’s first double skydiving simulator, said the organisers. 

The fourteenth edition of DSS begins with a spectacular opening ceremony at The Dubai Mall on June 22 at 7.30pm. The opening will feature light and sound shows and the LazyTown cartoon show. Organized in the waterfall area of the mall, Modhesh will also be present to usher in DSS.

Some of the other highlights at summer surprises are:

Modhesh World
Date: June 20 to Sept 10
Timing: Sat to Wed (10am to 10pm); Thu (10am to 12midnight), Fri (3pm to 12)
Venue: The Airport Expo Dubai
Admission: Dh15 for adults and children (entry free for children below 3 years, and physically challenged + accompanied person)

The region’s best known edutainment destination is back again this year with themed zones to entertain and educate children and other age groups, said Depe officials.

Some of the zones for this year include Modhesh Souq, Arts and Crafts, Lego, Modhesh Studio, Inflatables, Books Bazar, and XBOX, in addition to an ice rink, a skate park, funfair, and numerous other games and rides, they added.

Kids Sports Championships
Venue: Dubai Festival City
July 14 to 20
5pm to 10pm
With energy to burn and prizes to be won, Kids Sports Championships is a fun filled series of sports activities this summer.

Competitive, yet friendly, this must see event accommodates toddlers and children. From baby crawling to dancing, three legged races and many more surprises in store, kids can find their own sporting niche at the best of their ability.  

Collectors Exhibition
Venue: Mirdif City Centre
July 14 to 23
10am to 10pm
This exhibition features amazing wares, artefacts, and record breaking collections of local, regional, and international participants. From fashion and jewellery to coins and cars, and from weird and wonderful to elegant and beautiful, every collectible is unique.

Kids Fashion Week
Venue: Deira City Centre
July 28 to 31
5pm to 10pm
Dedicated to young fashionistas everywhere, the growing market of children’s clothing is celebrated in a display of the colourful, practical, and cool designs on the kids clothing scene. Kids Fashion Week features shows, the local catwalk stars of tomorrow, and global brands.

EPIC exhibition
Venue: Dubai Mall
Date: June 22 to 24
Epic, an abbreviation for “Eco-Wise, Progressive, Intelligent Consumer”, is an exhibition highlighting the need for sustainable consumerism.

The epic initiative and Sustainable Living Expo is categorized across Fashion & Accessories, Food & Beverage, Leisure & Travel, Home & Garden, Health & Beauty, Business & Technology, Transportation, and Government. It offers a platform for thousands of savvy shoppers and smart business operators to inspire sustainable consumer behaviour.

Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical
Date: July 11 to 16
Venue: The First Group Theatre, Madinat Jumeirah
Timing: July 11 to 16 at 7:30pm; July 13 to 16 at 2:30pm.
Admission: Special Offer for opening night (Dh120/All other performances- Dh150).

Including all the hit songs from the original movie and sequel including “This Is Me”, “Can’t Back Down”, “It’s On” and “We Rock”, Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical is a fun-filled spectacular live stage show. The show features a cast of some of the West End’s best performers who have performed in international hit west end shows. 

West Side Story
Date: July 19 to 23
Venue: Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre
Admission: Early Bird (June 1 - June 18) Dh150, Dh125 Regular (June 19 onwards) Dh165, Dh135

West Side Story is the thrilling musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This classic show depicts the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs in New York City.

Spiderman Live Show
Venue: BurJuman Observatory
Date: June 30 to July 4 and July 6 to 9
Timing: 6pm and 8pm on weekdays, and 5:30pm, 7:30pm and 9pm on weekends
The Spiderman Live Show presents the well-loved Marvel hero in action.

Lasting 22 minutes, each performance at the mall’s observatory is guaranteed to keep spectators spellbound, as the web slinging hero takes on the supercharged super villain Electro and his evil bodyguard Black Cat in an exciting show featuring lots of live action and mesmerizing stunts.

LazyTown
Venue: Dubai Mall
June 22 – July 2    
Stephanie and Ziggy are trying to set a new energy record in the town they are visiting. They call for Sportacusfor help but Robbie appears and the energy meter is going further and further down. Sportacus finally comes to help and he gets the audience to help him to do some superhero moves.

Robbie gives Sportacusa Candy Apple and he faints. An audience member has an apple that is given to Sportacus. He gets up on his feet and together with the audience and Stephanie and Ziggy they set a new energy record.

Mr. Men Show
Venue: Dubai Marina Mall
June 23 – July 3
Based on the original Mr. Men and Little Miss books created by Roger Hargreaves. The show centres on Dillydale where characters have their own specially designed homes and where vehicles are abundant.

Mr Happy decides to create Dillydale’s first dancing competition –the Dillydale Dancathon. Cacophony ensues when Mr Rude and Little Miss Sunshine decide to put a song together for the competition and Mr. Bump finds himself in the wrong spot.

Bob the Builder show
Venue: Mall of the Emirates
July 17 – July 27
Bob the Builder is back this summer with a 25-minute musical titled Birthday Surprise. It is Wendy’s Birthday and Bob wants to arrange a surprise party to celebrate but will Spud be able to keep it a secret? Join Bob, Wendy, and Spud in this exciting show with meet and greet sessions. 

Powerpuff Girls – Recycle Meltdown
Venue: Al Ghurair Centre
July 7 – July 17
It’s a beautiful yet busy day in Townsville until the Townsville Recycling Plant goes into mayhem when its recycling machine breaks down! Without a recycling machine Townsville will no longer be able to do its part to ‘Save the Planet!’

The pint-sized heroes –Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup arrive in the nick of time to find that a non-recyclable item got caught in the machine? No wonder it stopped! The Powerpuff Girls set off to find the culprit who owns the piece of tiara that stopped the machine.

DSS Fantasia
Venue: Mercato
July 7 to 16
5pm to 10pm
Mercato gets transformed this DSS with five weeks of carnivals, performers, and musicians with the mall taking on the Covent Garden theme and décor. DSS Fantasia will also host an exciting fairytale show for children.      

Thomas the Tank show
Venue: Mirdif City Centre
July 21 to 31
Based on The Railway Series of books by the Reverend W. Awdry and his son since 1945, Thomas and Friends lead children to a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story.

In this show during DSS, Thomas is rewarded with a trip to visit the new Sodor Search and Rescue Center having saved Diesel. But he gets separated from the ship and ends up alone and stranded on the mysterious Misty Island. What is going to happen with Thomas? Sir Topham Hat, the Fat Controller, is worried and is ready to look for Thomas. Will he be able to find his best friend?

Chowder
Date: July 21 to 31
Venue: Dubai Festival City
Chowder, the Emmy-winning American animated television series on Cartoon Network comes to Dubai in an exciting and interactive show. Based on Chowder’s hilarious first episode – The Froggy Apple Crumple Thumpkin, the show will feature the crazy antics of the character Mung Daal, along with music, singing, dancing, and interactive cooking-fun!        

Dubai Shopping Malls Group BMW Raffle

Beside this , the Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) is giving ten lucky winners the chance to walk away with a brand new 2012 model BMW 3-series during DSS and ‘Ramadan In Dubai’.

Beginning from June 22, the 10-week citywide promotion runs across 14 participating malls in Dubai, turning every Thursday into a lucky one for the weekly winner, said a Depe statement.

The last draw of the promotion will be held on August 31 to coincide with the last date of ‘Ramadan In Dubai,’ it added.

Shoppers spending a total of Dh200 at any of the 14 participating malls will be eligible to participate in the promotion.

The malls include Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair City, Al Manal Centre, Al Mulla Plaza, Arabian Centre, Burjuman Centre, Century Mall, Hamrain Centre, Ibn Batuta, Lamcy Plaza, Mazaya Centre, Oasis Centre, Palm Strip and Reef Mall.

The Depe brings together some of the best spas in Dubai in the ‘Spa Packages’. With over 30 participating spas, spa enthusiasts can choose from discounted treatments from around the world and unwind in a truly luxurious way.-TradeArabia News Service