In 2026 it expected to have 12 official days off according to the UAE public holiday law introduced at the start of 2025
This is including a huge six-day weekend.
The United Arab Emirates celebrates a mix of holidays, with some relying on the Islamic Hijri calendar to determine the exact date and others tied to the Gregorian calendar.
The Islamic Hijri calendar relies on the cycles of the moon, unlike the Gregorian calendar, which is based on the sun.
Holidays like Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, are from the Islamic calendar to establish their start date, are not officially confirmed until a matter of days before they’re due to begin, usually by sighting the new moon, however astronomers can predict when these occasions should begin further in advance.
The expected UAE public holiday dates can be found below.
- January 1 2025: New Year’s Day
- Shawwal 1: Eid Al Fitr holiday
- Shawwal 2: Eid Al Fitr holiday
- Shawwal 3: Eid Al Fitr holiday
- Dhu Al Hijjah 9: Arafat Day
- Dhu Al Hijjah 10: Eid Al Adha
- Dhu Al Hijjah 11: Eid Al Adha
- Dhu Al Hijjah 12: Eid Al Adha
- Muharram 1: Islamic New Year
- Rabi Al Awwal 12: Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday
- December 2: UAE National Day
- December 3: UAE National Day
It should also be noted that the UAE public holiday law allows governments to add extra public holidays not outlined above.
A public holiday may not be carried forward if it falls on the same date as another public holiday or a weekend.
This won’t be a problem in 2026 as none of the Islamic holidays will overlap with either of the holidays tied to the Gregorian calendar.
Predicted UAE public holidays dates 2026
Current predictions are based on the Islamic Hijri calendar corresponding with the year 2026. It covers the Hijri years of 1447 and 1448.
Current estimates indicate that we should expect a three-day long weekend for Eid Al Fitr.
For Eid Al Adha we can expect a bumper six-day long weekend when Saturday and Sunday are also included.
The remaining predicted public holiday dates in 2026 are as follows.
- New Year’s Day: Thursday January 1
- Eid Al Fitr: Friday March 20 – Sunday March 22
- Arafat Day: Tuesday May 26
- Eid Al Adha: Wednesday May 27 – Friday May 29
- Islamic New Year: Tuesday June 16
- The Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (PBUH): Tuesday August 25
- National Day: Tuesday December 1 and Wednesday December 2