Dubai flocks in as Ramadan Night Market opens

The Ramadan Night Market opened on Thursday at the Dubai World Trade Centre to a huge crowd that comprised both locals and expats, and companies that showcased nearly every product under the sun.

The event, which will continue till July 27, is open to visitors from 8 pm till 2 am.

“This is the first time I am attending the market,” said Mary, a visitor from Uzbekistan, who had come to Dubai on a vacation.

“I have seen night markets in Bangkok, but they are on the street. This is so organized,” she spoke in awe of the elaborate arrangements.

As is the case in such events, the food and gadget stalls saw the most footfalls, with people gathering much before the event officially opened.

“I have already turned down three customers. I cannot serve them before 8 pm,” said Govind, a manager at an Indian food stall.

“They queue up even while I am setting up the stall. I am sure they will keep coming even after the ‘closed’ sign is put up,” he added. The stall in question serves savory Indian snacks such as gol gappe, bhel puri and paani puri, so neither Govind nor the customers can really be blamed.

“We even keep the pamphlets hidden,” said Allan, a manager at a stall showcasing cameras and other electronic and electrical products of a Japanese company. “I run out of them in 10 minutes.”

Five funny highlights 1. The counter of a company selling whey protein and other body-building food was manned by a very lean man. Not a good first impression. 2. A slimming centre stall was right next to a fast-food outlet. That’s business cannibalism! 3. A woman at a stall selling hand-held massagers remained seated even while a customer enquired about her product. When asked for a demo, she promptly asked her colleague to stand up, and complained that her leg was hurting as she had been standing for long. Well, you are surrounded by massagers. 4. f you are managing a juice stall that reads “Healthy fruit juice – no added sugar”, please hide yourself while having an ice-cream. 5. If your handmade soap looks like a cookie or a bar of chocolate, please make sure you have a sign that says “soap” clearly. You can’t have curious people sniffing and grinning at your stall.

This year’s night market has nearly 350 stalls, and visitors have a chance to win international trips, cars and several other daily prizes. Free entry and parking have only acted as a catalyst to boost footfall.

Visitors will also be able to bid for mobile phones and tablet devices starting from Dh 1.

“We have come a long way since our inaugural edition in 2012. We are bigger, better and a more exciting marketplace with matchless family bonding opportunities. We aim to provide visitors a great ambience, unique shopping experiences, great deals and offers from participating retailers,” Sunil Jaiswal, CEO, Sumansa Exhibitions, organisers of the Ramadan Night Market, had told Khaleej Times earlier.

While the market had a lot to offer traditionally in terms of food and clothing, exhibitors had done well to adopt the latest the modern world had to offer.

Juice and ice-cream stalls showcased their menu on iPads, a couple of stalls accepted customer registration via WhatsApp messages, while a Taiwanese company asked customers to like their Facebook page on the spot to avail discounts. But if there was an award for the most engaging exploitation of man’s love for gadgets, it would be Chinese car company Chery. All a visitor had to do was click a selfie with the car and post it on Facebook. The picture with the maximum likes wins the car.

The most gripping sight of the day, however, came from the most unexpected place. It was a Chinese couple munching gol gappas at Bikanerwala.