UAE Public Holidays 2027: Eid Dates & Long Weekends
Contents
- UAE public holidays 2027 at a glance
- Why Eid dates are always estimates
- Long weekends in 2027 and how to stretch them
- How holiday moves work in the UAE
- Public sector vs private sector
- UAE public holidays 2026: the official calendar
- Planning travel around UAE holidays
- Sources and how we keep this page accurate
UAE public holidays 2027 start with a three-day New Year weekend, but most of the year's days off are Islamic holidays whose exact dates won't be confirmed until shortly before each one. This page gives you the expected dates now, so you can plan leave and book travel early, and we update it as each official announcement lands.
See the table below for the next holiday.
UAE public holidays 2027 at a glance
Fixed dates (New Year's Day and National Day) are set by law. Everything marked "Expected" follows the Hijri calendar and can shift by a day once the crescent moon is sighted.
| Date | Holiday | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 1 | New Year's Day | |
| Tue, Mar 9 – Thu, Mar 11 | Eid Al Fitr holidayعيد الفطر | Expected · Extends to Fri, Mar 12 if Ramadan lasts 30 days |
| Sat, May 15 – Tue, May 18 | Arafat Day & Eid Al Adhaيوم عرفة وعيد الأضحى | Expected |
| Sun, Jun 6 | Hijri New Yearرأس السنة الهجرية | Expected · Expected on a Sunday; weekend holidays are not moved |
| Sat, Aug 14 | Prophet's Birthdayالمولد النبوي | Expected · Expected on a Saturday; weekend holidays are not moved |
| Thu, Dec 2 – Fri, Dec 3 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad)عيد الاتحاد |
The biggest unknown is Eid Al Fitr. If Ramadan lasts 29 days, the break is expected to run Tuesday to Thursday, March 9–11. If it lasts 30 days, it is expected to extend to Friday, March 12, which turns it into a five-day break once you add the weekend.
Why Eid dates are always estimates
The Islamic calendar is lunar, so each month begins when the new crescent moon is sighted. That is why every Hijri holiday moves about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year.
The UAE moon-sighting committee meets on the evening before a possible start date. Government announcements usually follow within days, sometimes only a day or two before the holiday itself.
In practice, the estimates published a year ahead are rarely off by more than one day. Plan around them, but keep refundable bookings for anything tied to Eid.
Long weekends in 2027 and how to stretch them
The table below is calculated from the holiday dates and the Saturday–Sunday weekend. Rows marked ✦ show how many leave days you need to request to join holidays and weekends into one longer break.
| Break | Dates | Days off | Leave needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Fri, Jan 1 – Sun, Jan 3 | 3 days | None |
| Eid Al Fitr holiday | Sat, Mar 6 – Thu, Mar 11 | 6 days | 1 day (Mon, Mar 8) |
| Eid Al Fitr holiday | Tue, Mar 9 – Thu, Mar 11 | 3 days | None |
| Eid Al Fitr holiday | Tue, Mar 9 – Sun, Mar 14 | 6 days | 1 day (Fri, Mar 12) |
| Arafat Day & Eid Al Adha | Sat, May 15 – Tue, May 18 | 4 days | None |
| National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Thu, Dec 2 – Sun, Dec 5 | 4 days | None |
The standout option is Eid Al Fitr. One leave day on Monday, March 8 links the weekend to the expected Tuesday–Thursday holiday, giving six days off in a row.
Eid Al Adha is expected to fall on a natural four-day break from Saturday, May 15 to Tuesday, May 18. National Day falls on Thursday and Friday, December 2–3, which joins the weekend for four days without any leave.
How holiday moves work in the UAE
Since 2024, the Cabinet can shift most public holidays to the beginning or end of the week. The idea is to give residents longer weekends instead of a single day off in the middle of the week.
There are three limits. Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha are never moved. A holiday is not moved if it overlaps another public holiday. And a holiday that already lands on a Saturday or Sunday is not moved to a weekday.
The 2026 Prophet's Birthday shows how this works. The occasion itself was expected on Tuesday, August 25, but the official day off was moved to Friday, August 28, creating a three-day weekend.
In 2027, both Hijri New Year (expected Sunday, June 6) and the Prophet's Birthday (expected Saturday, August 14) are projected to fall on weekend days. If those estimates hold, they will not create an extra weekday off.
Public sector vs private sector
Federal government entities and private companies usually announce the same holiday, but the length can differ. Government staff hear from the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, while private sector staff hear from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
The 2026 Eid Al Adha break is a good example. Private sector employees were off Tuesday to Friday, May 26–29. Federal government staff were also off on Monday, May 25, which gave them nine days in a row with the weekends on both sides.
Private sector employees who wanted the same nine days could request one leave day for that Monday. Whether that works depends on your contract and your manager's approval.
UAE public holidays 2026: the official calendar
These are the dates the government actually announced for 2026. Only National Day remains in the year, and the Cabinet can still adjust it, usually announcing any change in mid-November.
| Date | Holiday | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Jan 1 | New Year's Day | |
| Thu, Mar 19 – Sun, Mar 22 | Eid Al Fitr holidayعيد الفطر | Eid fell on Fri, Mar 20 |
| Tue, May 26 – Fri, May 29 | Arafat Day & Eid Al Adhaيوم عرفة وعيد الأضحى | Private sector. Federal government staff were also off Mon, May 25 |
| Mon, Jun 15 | Hijri New Yearرأس السنة الهجرية | |
| Fri, Aug 28 | Prophet's Birthdayالمولد النبوي | Moved from Tue, Aug 25 |
| Wed, Dec 2 – Thu, Dec 3 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad)عيد الاتحاد | The Cabinet can move it; any change is usually announced in mid-November |
Planning travel around UAE holidays
Flights out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi get expensive around both Eids and National Day. Many residents travel at the same time, so fares and hotel rates rise as soon as the dates are confirmed.
Book early with free cancellation, then adjust once the official dates are announced. A one-day shift rarely matters for hotels, but it can matter for non-refundable flights.
If you stay in the country, staycation packages tend to sell out quickly for the four-day National Day weekend. Beach hotels and desert resorts usually fill first.
Sources and how we keep this page accurate
The 2026 dates come from the government announcements reported by Khaleej Times, Gulf News and The National. The 2027 estimates and the rules on moving holidays follow Khaleej Times' 2027 outlook.
Every date in the tables comes from a single data file, and the weekdays and long weekends are calculated automatically. When a new announcement is published, we update that file and the whole page is rebuilt.
FAQ
Are the 2027 Eid holiday dates in the UAE official yet?
Not yet. Eid Al Fitr, Arafat Day, Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year and the Prophet's Birthday follow the Hijri lunar calendar, so the government confirms them close to each date after the moon-sighting committee meets. The dates on this page are astronomical estimates.
Can the UAE move a public holiday to a Friday or Monday?
Yes. Under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 most holidays can be moved to the start or end of the week, but Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha cannot, and a holiday that already falls on a Saturday or Sunday is not moved.
Do private sector employees get the same days off as government staff?
Usually the same holiday, but not always the same number of days. In 2026, federal government staff got an extra day for Eid Al Adha (Monday, May 25) that private sector staff did not.
What is the UAE weekend?
The federal government moved to a Saturday–Sunday weekend in January 2022, and most private companies follow it, though some sectors still keep different rest days.