Dubai Municipality launched the second season of the ‘Souq Al Freej’ initiative, a dynamic project aimed at bolstering and fostering local small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) while promoting their homegrown products.

The Municipality announced that the initiative will be held in two phases. The first phase will be organised between December 15 and 31, 2023, at the Al Warqa Park, while the second phase will be held in the Al Barsha Pond Park between January 5 and 21, 2024. The “Souq Al Freej” will be open from 4 pm to 10 pm.

 Through this innovative initiative, the Municipality seeks to provide commercial channels of communication for small, domestic entrepreneurs to support and empower them to showcase and market their home-made products in their neighborhood gardens. It also intends to improve their outreach to the community as part of welfare activities, encourage young people to start their own enterprises, and display locally made products in public places.

 Ahmed Al Zarooni, Director of the Department of Public Parks and Recreational Facilities, emphasized the Municipality’s commitment to managing and developing public parks that define Dubai through various commercial and recreational events. “By delivering the highest levels of happiness and well-being to both residents and visitors, these initiatives contribute to positioning Dubai as one of the most alluring and welcoming places to reside,” he added.

 Al Zarooni said: “The second season of the ‘Souq Al Freej’ initiative will include many additions and investment opportunities for national cadres of neighborhood residents to encourage them to continue and develop their ambitious projects and initiatives. Along with improving customer trust and confidence in home grown products, it also seeks to increase competition among them to offer the best product at the lowest possible price, especially in light of the initiative’s successful first season. Additionally, there will be a variety of recreational activities for people of all ages as well as playgrounds for children and restaurants that provide a variety of food and drinks.”

 The Municipality will provide numerous concessions to entrepreneurs, including offering logistics facilities on site and free display platforms for products. The number of projects to be displayed on the market is expected to reach 30. Furthermore, the Municipality will also provide digital solutions that facilitate the application process to support the businesses participating in the event.

 The first season of ‘Souq Al Freej’ took place in the Al Barsha Pond Park between December 18 and 27, 2022, and in Al Warqa Park 3 between January 1 and 15, 2023, bringing together over 95,000 visitors.