United Arab Emirates Public Holidays
United Arab Emirates has 8 national public holidays in 2026, observed across the whole country. Over the years covered here the calendar draws on 8 recurring holidays. 3 sit on the same calendar date every year, while 5 move (Islamic (Hijri) calendar). The same calendar applies nationwide, with no separate regional public holidays in this dataset.
Which public holidays does United Arab Emirates have?
Every recurring national public holiday, how its date is decided, and the date it lands on in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Dates are computed from the rule, so Easter-linked and moon-linked holidays are correct for each individual year.
| Holiday | How the date is set | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Dayرأس السنة الميلادية | Same date every year | Jan 1 | Jan 1 | Jan 1 |
| Eid al-Fitr | Islamic (Hijri) calendar | Mar 29 | Mar 18 | Mar 8 |
| Arafah Day | Islamic (Hijri) calendar | Jun 5 | May 26 | May 15 |
| Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha)عيد الأضØÙ‰ | Islamic (Hijri) calendar | Jun 6 | May 27 | May 16 |
| Islamic New Yearرأس السنة الهجرية | Islamic (Hijri) calendar | Jun 26 | Jun 16 | Jun 6 |
| Birthday of Muhammad (Mawlid)المولد النبويّ | Islamic (Hijri) calendar | Sep 4 | Aug 25 | Aug 14 |
| National Dayاليوم الوطني | Same date every year | Dec 2 | Dec 2 | Dec 2 |
| National Day (second day) | Same date every year | Dec 3 | Dec 3 | Dec 3 |
Which Emirati holidays are national and which are regional?
The 8 holidays above are national: they apply across United Arab Emirates rather than in one area only. This dataset holds no separate sub-national calendar for United Arab Emirates, so there is no regional layer to add. Individual towns and employers can still mark local days that are not national public holidays, and those are not covered here.
Which holidays move each year, and why?
5 of the 8 recurring holidays land on a different date each year. Here is the rule behind each group.
Same date every year (3)
The holiday is tied to one calendar date, so it lands on a different weekday each year but never changes date. In United Arab Emirates this covers New Year's Day, National Day and National Day (second day).
Islamic (Hijri) calendar (5)
The date follows the Hijri lunar calendar, which is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, so the holiday moves roughly 11 days earlier each year. The final day is confirmed by moon sighting, so no future Hijri date is ever fully fixed and it can move by a day in either direction. In United Arab Emirates this covers Eid al-Fitr, Arafah Day, Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha), Islamic New Year and Birthday of Muhammad (Mawlid).
Corrections applied to the United Arab Emirates calendar
These dates start from the open date-holidays dataset, which is a good general source but is wrong or incomplete for a number of countries. Every departure from it is listed here with the law or official publication it was checked against, so you can verify it rather than trust it.
| Change | Holiday | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Removed | First day of Ramadan | The first day of Ramadan is not on the Cabinet list of public holidays. Ramadan changes working hours, it is not a day off. | Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 concerning public holidays in the UAEChecked 2026-07-27 |
| Removed | Laylat al-Mi'raj | Isra and Mi'raj is not on the Cabinet list of public holidays. | Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 concerning public holidays in the UAEChecked 2026-07-27 |
| Removed | End of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr) | The Eid al-Fitr break runs from 29 Ramadan to 3 Shawwal, which is four days, not the three the dependency counts from 1 Shawwal. | Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, Eid Al Fitr, 29 Ramadan to 3 ShawwalChecked 2026-07-27 |
| Added | Eid al-Fitr | Replaces the dependency's three day version with the four day break the Cabinet resolution sets, 29 Ramadan to 3 Shawwal. | Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, Eid Al Fitr, 29 Ramadan to 3 ShawwalChecked 2026-07-27 |
| Added | Arafah Day | Arafah Day is a public holiday in its own right, immediately before the three days of Eid al-Adha. The dependency omits it. | Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha, 9 to 12 Dhu al-HijjahChecked 2026-07-27 |
| Added | National Day (second day) | National Day is a two day holiday, 2 and 3 December. The dependency lists only 2 December. | Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, Eid Al Etihad, 2 and 3 DecemberChecked 2026-07-27 |
When is the next public holiday in United Arab Emirates?
The next 3 holidays on the 2026 calendar.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday of Muhammad (Mawlid) | August 25, 2026 | Tuesday |
| National Day | December 2, 2026 | Wednesday |
| National Day (second day) | December 3, 2026 | Thursday |
United Arab Emirates public holiday calendars by year
Open a year for the full table with dates, weekdays and long-weekend counts.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does United Arab Emirates have?
United Arab Emirates has 8 national public holidays in 2026 and 8 in 2027. The total can differ from year to year because holidays that fall on a weekend sometimes gain a substitute day, and because moon-based and Easter-based dates occasionally shift in or out of a calendar year.
Which Emirati public holidays fall on the same date every year?
3 of them: New Year's Day (January 1), National Day (December 2) and National Day (second day) (December 3). These are pinned to a calendar date, so only the weekday changes from year to year.
Which public holidays in United Arab Emirates change date each year?
5 do: Eid al-Fitr, Arafah Day, Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha), Islamic New Year and Birthday of Muhammad (Mawlid). The reasons are islamic (hijri) calendar, so the Gregorian date has to be recalculated for every year rather than copied forward.
Are there regional public holidays in United Arab Emirates?
This dataset has no separate regional calendar for United Arab Emirates, so the national public holidays listed here apply countrywide. Individual towns can still observe local days that are not public holidays nationally.
What happens when a public holiday in United Arab Emirates falls on a weekend?
This dataset records no substitute days for United Arab Emirates, so every date listed here is the holiday itself rather than a replacement weekday. That is not the same as saying none is granted: a number of countries move a weekend holiday onto a working day under national labour law without that rule being captured in the underlying data, so check a local source whenever a holiday lands on a Saturday or Sunday.
Where do these Emirati holiday dates come from?
The dates are computed per year from each holiday's own rule using the open date-holidays dataset. That dataset is wrong or incomplete for United Arab Emirates, so 6 corrections have been applied on top of it, each checked against the legislation or the official publication and listed further down this page with its source and the date it was checked.
How to use this page
Public holidays shape the working year in United Arab Emirates, closing many offices, banks and public services and shifting the rhythm of travel and shopping. If you are scheduling a delivery, a launch or a meeting with a Emirati team, the table at the top is the quickest check: it shows every recurring holiday side by side across 2025, 2026 and 2027, so you can see at a glance which dates are stable and which need looking up again next year. Where a holiday falls on a weekend and is taken on another day, it appears once, on the day off, with its calendar date beside it, so the totals here match the official ones rather than double counting.
For a single year with weekday counts and long weekends, open the year page for 2025, 2026 or 2027. To compare countries in one year, the 2026 worldwide overview lists every country we cover side by side. Dates come from the open date-holidays dataset and are recalculated per year from each holiday's rule, with 6 corrections applied on top of it against the Emirati legislation, listed above with sources. Always confirm official dates with a local authority before you commit to travel or contracts.