Market Outside the Box (MOTB) 2025: A Retro-Futuristic Journey through Creativity and Culture"
Multidisciplinary outdoor marketplace, immersive activations, and cultural installations.

As part of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2025, Market Outside the Box (MOTB) transformed Dubai Design District (d3) into a retro-futuristic playground of innovation and design. This experiential festival blended nostalgia with modernity, inviting audiences to explore a vibrant tapestry of creativity, culture, and commerce.

The festival’s entrances, designed as giant TV installations, framed the event as a portal to an alternate world, where retro aesthetics met cutting-edge activations. At its heart, the centerpiece stage was an oversized retro tape cassette, a nod to iconic 80s and 90s pop culture, surrounded by a palette of bold pop-up colors that energized the environment.

Key highlights included an interactive light shading installation, which invited visitors to manipulate light and shadow in a dynamic artistic experience, and the immersive car wash installation, a playful activation that reimagined everyday spaces as whimsical, colorful design spectacles. Across the venue, curated pop-up shops and artisanal displays offered a rich tapestry of local creativity and global innovation.

MOTB 2025 wasn’t just a marketplace; it was a living story of Dubai’s cultural and creative evolution. By merging art, technology, and design, the festival fostered moments of connection, curiosity, and wonder. Each element, from the immersive installations to the retro-themed activations, reflected the spirit of innovation that defines Dubai as a global hub.

Through its vibrant interplay of nostalgia and innovation, MOTB 2025 exemplified how experiential design can elevate public spaces into transformative, emotionally engaging environments.

MOTB 2025, Festival Design with Linkviva Agency, Dubai, UAE 2025

Photo: Linkviva Agency