The UAE public holiday law establishes the official days off we can expect in the calendar every year in Dubai and the other emirates.
In 2026, we can expect a minimum of 12 official days off according to the UAE public holiday law introduced at the start of 2025 – including a huge six-day long 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 cycles of the moon, unlike the Gregorian calendar, which is based on the sun.
Exact dates for holidays such as Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, which use the Islamic calendar to establish their start date, are not officially confirmed until a matter of days before they’re due to begin.
But astronomers are able to predict when these occasions should begin further in advance.
The likely UAE public holiday dates can be found below, as per the
UAE public holiday law established in April 2024 and introduced in January 2025.
- 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 does allow local governments to add extra public holidays not outlined above if they choose to do so.
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.
However, it could mean that any public holidays, aside from Eid Al Adha and Eid Al Fitr, that fall in the middle of the week could be moved to the start or beginning of the week to allow for a long weekend.
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 and Arafat Day we can expect a bumper six-day long weekend when Saturday and Sunday are also included.
The remaining predicted public holiday dates in 2026 will break up the work week.
- 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: Monday June 15 (official day to fall on Tuesday June 16, holiday moved to start of the week)
- The Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (PBUH): Monday August 24 (official day to fall on Tuesday August 25, holiday moved to start of the week)
- National Day: Tuesday December 1 and Wednesday December 2
With the occasions of Islamic New Year and The Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (PBUH) predicted to fall on a Tuesday, it’s likely that these holidays will be moved to the beginning of the week to give us a long weekend.
There is also the possibility that the UAE National Day holiday is moved forward or extended since it falls in the middle of the week in 2026. The date of December 2 holds great significance in the country so it’s unlikely that the public holiday would not include that date.
Current predictions indicate that the majority of UAE public holidays in 2026 should not fall on a weekend but this could change depending on moon sightings.
If a public holiday does end up falling on the weekend, except from Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, then it may be carried over by a UAE Cabinet decision to the beginning or end of the week.
