There’s nothing better than a long weekend off work thanks to a public holiday or two and luckily, 2025 has plenty of them lined up.
In fact, we’re set for an extra bumper weekend this wintertime.
The UAE National Day holiday, also known as Eid Al Etihad, celebrates the unification of the United Arab Emirates.
In 2025, it will be the 54th National Day and it will be held on Tuesday December 2.
According to the UAE public holiday law, the official days off for National Day are December 2 and December 3 every year.
If this is the case in 2025, then it would mean we get a two-day holiday to break up the working week.
However, the public holiday law also states that holidays can be moved to the beginning or end of the week to provide a longer holiday.
In this instance, there’s a chance that Monday December 1 could also be a public holiday or replace the December 3 holiday.
If Monday is added to the celebration then we would celebrate a five-day holiday when combined with the weekend.
It is more likely, however, that the December 3 holiday would move to Monday and, instead, we would get a four-day holiday when combined with the weekend.
The introduction of the UAE public holiday law means that any non-Eid holidays can be moved to the beginning or end of the week to allow for more time off for UAE residents.
It meant that the Islamic New Year holiday, which normally relies on moon sightings to be determined, was announced a week in advance and held on a Friday – allowing more time to prepare for the break.
UAE National Day falls just after a national occasion which isn’t typically marked with a public holiday – UAE Commemoration Day on Sunday November 30.
According to the public holiday law, local governments may determine any other public holidays not stipulated in the resolution for any reason. This means that, if the Dubai government decides to do so, that UAE Commemoration Day could be part of the extended National Day long weekend.
A big celebration is held every year on December 2 during the UAE National Day weekend, which is attended by the rulers of the seven emirates.
