Al Ghurair Centre is a landmark in the UAE shopping scene. It was the very first mall in Dubai, built on an empty plot of land that is now the heart of a bustling Deira city, Dubai.

Over the years, Al Ghurair Centre has been overshadowed by the bigger, newer malls in its vicinity. However, in the recent past, Al Ghurair Centre has taken on a new persona with its tagline ‘Soul of the City’.

The mall went through a major reconstruction last year, with an expansion that brought in many new fashion labels, some debuting for the first time in the UAE market.

I enjoy shopping in Al Ghurair Centre for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it is not as crowded as the other malls.

Secondly, the mall seems to have all my favorite fashion stores in one convenient stretch! Mango, Marks & Spencer, George, Aftershock, Koton… the list goes on!

Thirdly, I’ve discovered a few new brands here: Pink Woman (a funky, casualwear ladies’ label from Greece) and Eleven Paris (a French label that screams ‘Parisian Chic’).

Last Friday, I was invited to a bloggers event to commemorate the start of Al Ghurair Centre’s Dub Fest #AGCDubFest

#AGCDubFest runs from 19th March to 28th March. The street running between Spinneys and the mall has been blocked off and transformed into a carnival space.

There are a number of stalls selling everything from souvenirs to kaftans and coconut water.

The funky, colorful Dub Fest branding adorns the mall at all corners. An impressive list of street artists from across the globe are performing live to awestruck audiences.

The bloggers meet was at Paul’s Café, Al Ghurair Centre. I took my bubby along, and she had a great day out.

After a delicious array of finger-foods, we had the pleasure of being entertained by the very talented Todd Various.

Todd Various is an American street artist. His bio says he is the perfect example of what a school prankster grows up to be! He’s fluid, fascinating and so very amusing.

My four year-old felt very special for being picked to hold up a 100 dirham note for one of his magic tricks.

The audience stared in amazement as Todd swallowed a balloon whole right before our eyes.

Todd Various has a brand new little fan right here in the UAE!

After the performance, I took my tot to the Children’s Circus Workshop that has been set up on the Ground Floor of the new extension.

Giant clown footsteps helped us find our way.

I was very impressed my daughter managed to walk the rope without tripping!

The workshop is fully supervised, and parents can even choose to leave their children here while they get up to adult things like shopping and sipping coffee.

The street performances take place every half an hour, and we made it just in time to see a performance by Stickman.

This burly, haggard artist hails from Canada and his tricks are not for the faint-hearted.

Here he is lying on a bed of nails, and getting volunteers from the audience to trample all over him!

He also juggled a handful of scary-sharp swords right in front of a participant who was asked to lie flat with his eyes open. Sorry I was too glued to this act, and didn’t get a click!

Head to Al Ghurair Centre’s Dub Fest. Take your family, your friends, your neighbors… it’s not every day you get to see such talent for free. And check out the mall’s latest additions while you’re at it!