A unique pop-up event organised as part of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is inviting people to experience a nostalgic recreation of Dubai in the 80s.
A new addition to the DSF, organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), the 10-day event, held at the Last Exit Al Khawaneej, transports visitors into a visual representation of Dubai in the 80’s and early 90s.
On arrival at the pop-up event, visitors will take a giant leap back in time, strolling through a main entrance with a vintage Emirati house that gives them the experience of entering an 80’s neighbourhood, redolent with spices and old music in the air.
Visitors will come face-to-face with memorabilia, including 90s cell phones, swatch watches, Gameboys, old encyclopedias and floppy disks, vintage televisions and retro cassette players, gadgets that defined a generation. Guests can explore a vintage photo gallery display for a trip down memory lane, with snapshots from local artists depicting Dubai in all its past glory before its emergence as the futuristic city of today.
Visitors can also retrace their childhood memories and explore comic books and cartoons that defined a generation before Marvel and DC Comics moved to the big screen. Revisiting a time when Dubai had its own superhero fanbase, visitors have the chance to re-experience their favourite comic book heroes and watch screenings of anime and animated clips from popular movies.
They will also get the opportunity to explore the Gaming Arcade, built as a nostalgic 90s themed arcade with vintage arcade machines, featuring all-time favourite games such as Tetris, Mario Kart, Space Invaders, and many more. A display of classic cars will bring back memories of the automobiles of yesteryear. Visitors will also get the chance to win a host of daily prizes.
Dubai 80s will take place at the Last Exit Al Khawaneej from 23 December to 8 January from 4.00 pm to 11.00 pm, with free access to everyone.