The seventh edition of Dubai Food Festival 2020 kicked off on Wednesday with a schedule that promises to take you on a culinary and sensory journey that has something for everyone.

The annual 18-day Dubai Food Festival (DFF) – organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) – includes an exciting line-up of events that include the Foodie Experiences Programme, Dubai Restaurant Week, the Etisalat Beach Canteen, Hidden Gems and brand-new to DFF 2020, “Home Edition” and “Tasty Tunes”.

Here’s a list of things that the Dubai Food Festival, which ends on March 14, has to offer.

FIREWORKS CENTRAL
Adding some bang to the revelry are fireworks, which will mark each weekend of the event – starting from a beachside fireworks display scheduled for 8.30pm today at Etisalat Beach Canteen. The next display will be on March 6 at 8:30pm at Dubai Festival City Mall to be followed another one on March 13 at The Pointe on Palm Jumeirah at 8.30pm. The closing ceremony will be marked by fireworks display at the Etisalat Beach Canteen on March 14 at 8.30pm.

FOODIE EXPERIENCES
A carefully curated series of incredible, one-off culinary experiences designed to stimulate all the senses offers more than 80 opportunities to take part in either a MasterClass, a Chef’s Table or Experiential dining experience – some of which are exclusive events for one night only. You can try your hand at creating special world cuisine to learning the art of plating with MasterChef-style cooking challenges. For those who prefer eating at a Master Chef’s table, the Foodie Experience Chef’s Table series brings guests up close and personal with some of the city’s top chefs. Indulge in a one-off Japanese Italian fusion night; a unique sustainable tapas experience or a 14-course journey into modernist, molecular Indian cuisine. For an even more Experiential occasion, why not try Bedouin desert dining; Emirati dining under the stars atop a traditional coral house in Al Bastakiya.
Tickets for all Foodie Experience events are available exclusively via PlatinumList.net.

DUBAI RESTAURANT WEEK
The 2020 edition of Dubai Restaurant Week (DRW) – from March 5 – 14 – offers you an array of indulgence and features 36 outlets, and exclusive menus at Dubai’s best restaurants, including five associated with celebrity chefs – Gordon Ramsay, Vikas Khanna, Akira Back, Greg Malouf and Mathieu Viannay. Two-course lunches are being offered from as little as AED75, while three-course dinner experiences start from just AED 150.
All Dubai Restaurant Week dining experiences must be booked in advance, exclusively through official booking partner Reserve Out via its app and website.

ETISALAT BEACH CANTEEN
Food trucks, pop-up shops, talks, events, live cooking demonstrations and foot-tapping music, everything will be accessible at Etisalat Beach Canteen, behind Sunset Mall on Jumeirah Beach for everyone. This year, the entertainment also includes a gaming park, a Beach Game alley, a kid’s play zone, and the chance to watch and learn from leading chefs and culinary experts.

DUBAI HIDDEN GEMS
Featuring 40 restaurants, cafes, and food outlets, Dubai Hidden Gems brings to light the best-kept secrets of the Emirate’s food scene. The list, selected by Dubai Food Festival in collaboration with Zomato, includes truly global cuisine, from Emirati to Japanese, Uzbek to Ethiopian.  You can vote for your favourite Hidden Gem from the list at dubaihiddengems.com, with a Top Ten Hidden Gems 2020 list being unveiled at the Etisalat Beach Canteen on March 14. Twenty lucky voters will receive a AED500 gift card plus a Zomato Gold Annual Membership, (winners will be selected at random). Voting continues till March 11. Additionally, diners at this year’s Hidden Gems can win a 5-star staycation for two people, just by visiting any five Hidden Gems and getting their Hidden Gems passport stamped at each unique outlet.

HOME EDITION
The spotlight also falls on supermarkets and hypermarkets with shoppers spending AED250 or more at a participating outlet – Lulu Hypermarket, Spinneys, Waitrose, Carrefour and Union Co-op – standing a chance in a weekly raffle to win vouchers valued at AED50,000 per week during Dubai Food Festival. Winners of raffle will be chosen at random and declared in a weekly raffle draw to be held on the March 7 and 14 at the Etisalat Beach Canteen main stage.

TASTY TUNES
A brand-new addition to the exciting line-up, Tasty Tunes adds music to the menu by offering a host of new spots that will showcase sensational singing acts alongside their signature dishes.

LIMITED EDITION COFFEE SERIES
For all you coffee lovers, the treats are many with Dubai homegrown brands as well as international coffee brands a limited-edition coffee – only available during the festival period. The list of those offerings the exclusive beverage includes Boston Lane Café, Café Frei, DOH, Oiso Café and Minimart, and Costa Coffee, to name a few. Plus, there will also be a coffee passport available whereby you will be able to collect stamps as you go!

FABULOUS PROMOTIONS
Among the many promotions, is the DINE & Win promotion being run in collaboration with the Dubai Shopping Malls Group and featuring 19 participating malls and various other F & B outlets across the city. Upon dining for just AED 50 at any of the participating venues, including outlets at the airport, customers are entitled to a raffle coupon to win an array of fabulous prizes and the grand prize of a GAC sedan GA8 by Gargash Motors. DFF diners will also have the opportunity to win instant scratch-and-win rewards.