During the 30th anniversary of the Dubai Shopping Festival, 1115 prizes were awarded, including the new 'Nissan Patrol'. Over three decades, unique offers and exclusive prizes have been presented at the festival, starting from luxury cars to gold and cash prizes that brought joy into the lives of the winning residents and their families.
The media highlights inspiring stories of several winners, such as Arniel Mamaril, who had followed the festival's draws for many years and finally won this year. He shared: 'I have been practically working in the UAE for 10 years, while my family lives in the Philippines. Every year I followed the draws and watched the winners. Today I am among the winners myself. The prize of 100,000 dirhams was a huge support for me and my family, now we can pay off all our debts.'
Midounaraj Shirato, who has lived in Dubai for over 21 years, expressed her amazement at winning, stating: 'After moving to Dubai, my husband and I, thanks to hard work and perseverance, opened our business. The first time I heard about the Dubai Shopping Festival draws was when I was shopping with my family in Dubai Festival City Mall. I couldn't believe it until I received a call confirming my winning prize. However, I did not see my name on the winners' list, and two days later I got a car.'
Zuber Ashraf Muhammad, who has lived in Dubai since 2013, noted that he needed a family car to be able to participate in the festival draws. He shared: 'We came with my family from Pakistan three months ago, and I needed a new car. I participated in the draw, bought my ticket online, and immediately received a call about winning a Nissan Xterra and 100,000 dirhams.' He added: 'My family was in shock, as I was the first in my family to win such a major prize. I want to express my gratitude to the Dubai Shopping Festival and the Dubai community for realizing my dream.'
Ibrahim Safvad, who has participated in the draws for the past five years, admitted that he was originally skeptical about his chances of winning, but quickly felt joy: 'When I received the call about winning the new Nissan Patrol, I was shocked - this prize means a lot to me and my family. I have a home, which is being built in my homeland, and this win allows me to finish its construction in the shortest time possible.'
At the recent 29th Dubai Shopping Festival, the Dubai Gold Jewellery Group presented numerous prizes, including 250 grams of gold. One of the winners, Xin Yuan, recalling her winning prize, said: 'A gold necklace with a dragon motif symbolizes success in Chinese heritage, it became the perfect gift for my eldest daughter when she goes to university. And another coin with a panda motif that I won here became a gift for my family, which excited us - we all love pandas.'
