The UAE's holiday calendar mixes two systems at once: a handful of fixed Gregorian dates that never move, and a longer list tied to the Islamic lunar calendar that shifts roughly ten days earlier every year. Knowing both, well ahead of time, is what turns a public holiday from a scramble into a properly planned private trip.
The next public holiday
As of September 2026, the next two UAE public holidays are both fixed dates, already confirmed years ahead: Commemoration Day on Tuesday, 1 December 2026, immediately followed by National Day on Wednesday-Thursday, 2-3 December 2026, running straight into the weekend for four consecutive days off.
The next lunar holiday after that is Eid al-Fitr, expected around 9-11 March 2027. Its exact date only becomes official once the moon-sighting committee announces it, typically a day or two beforehand, so treat it as a placeholder until then.
How the UAE holiday calendar actually works
Three of the UAE's public holidays sit on fixed Gregorian dates and never change: New Year's Day, Commemoration Day and National Day. The remaining four, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha with Arafat Day, the Islamic New Year and the Prophet's Birthday, follow the Hijri lunar calendar, so their Gregorian date moves earlier by about ten to eleven days each year.
Lunar dates are only confirmed once the relevant moon-sighting committee meets, typically a day or two before the holiday itself, which is why every official calendar published in advance carries the same caveat: expected, to be confirmed closer to the date. On top of that, the government routinely shifts a mid-week day off to the nearest Friday or Monday under its holiday-transfer policy, turning a single day into a proper long weekend, exactly what happened with the Prophet's Birthday in 2026, covered in full here.
The full UAE holiday calendar, 2026 and 2027
The table below lists every official public holiday for both the government and private sectors. Fixed dates are confirmed years in advance, lunar dates are estimates based on the standard Hijri calendar and will firm up closer to each date.
Two rows are worth double-checking closer to travel: Eid al-Adha includes Arafat Day and can occasionally run into a fifth day depending on how the weekend falls, and the Islamic New Year is the lunar holiday most likely to pass as a single day with little fanfare.
| Holiday | Basis | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Fixed | Thursday, 1 January | Friday, 1 January |
| Eid al-Fitr (3 days) | Lunar, expected | around 19-21 March | around 9-11 March |
| Arafat Day and Eid al-Adha (4 days) | Lunar, expected | around 26-29 May | around 15-18 May |
| Islamic New Year | Lunar, expected | around 16 June | around 5 June |
| Prophet's Birthday (Mawlid al-Nabi) | Lunar | confirmed, Friday 28 August | around 14 August |
| Commemoration Day | Fixed | Tuesday, 1 December | Wednesday, 1 December |
| National Day | Fixed | Wednesday-Thursday, 2-3 December | Thursday-Friday, 2-3 December |
Which holidays turn into the longest weekends
Fixed dates make it possible to spot the standout weekends years in advance, lunar ones only reveal their full shape once the moon-sighting confirms the exact day.
- Prophet's Birthday, 2026: the government moved the day off from Tuesday 25 August to Friday 28 August, creating a three-day weekend at the very end of the school summer break, [full breakdown here](/blog/uae-mawlid-holiday-2026-08).
- National Day run, 2027: Commemoration Day on Wednesday 1 December is followed immediately by National Day on Thursday-Friday 2-3 December, which runs straight into the Saturday-Sunday weekend for five consecutive days off without taking a single day of personal leave.
- Eid al-Fitr, both years: a three-day holiday that typically lands close to a weekend, and because it follows a full month of Ramadan, demand for a private, unhurried trip tends to peak in the days immediately after.
- New Year's Day, 2027: falling on a Friday, it sits right at the start of the weekend rather than extending it, worth noting so expectations match reality.
What actually closes over a public holiday
A public holiday in the UAE is first and foremost a day off work, not a day the country shuts down for visitors. Government departments, banks and most consular services close for the holiday itself, so any paperwork or appointments are best scheduled around it rather than during it.
Tourism keeps running. Hotels, restaurants, malls, museums and attractions generally stay open through every holiday on this list, sometimes with adjusted hours or special programming around the religious ones, which is exactly why holidays and long weekends are also the periods when a private guide who already knows the day's schedule is worth the most.
How demand shifts around each holiday
Every holiday on the calendar pulls the same lever: a burst of domestic and regional travel compressed into a few days, which means the best guides, cars and tables get reserved first, well before the holiday itself. That effect is strongest around the longer weekends, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and any holiday moved onto a Friday or Monday.
The quieter lunar holiday to watch is the Islamic New Year, which rarely gets shifted into a long weekend and passes with comparatively little travel disruption, making it one of the calmer single days to book a private tour at short notice.
Best and weakest holidays for a private trip
Long weekends built around Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha or a Friday-shifted single holiday reward booking weeks ahead, since the same days draw families from across the UAE and the wider Gulf into the country's best restaurants, beaches and attractions.
A single mid-week holiday that is not shifted, most often the Islamic New Year, behaves closer to an ordinary weekday for a visitor: shorter waits, easier reservations, and a good window for a private tour without the premium planning a long weekend demands.
How to plan a private trip around a long weekend
The lunar dates only firm up shortly before each holiday, so a workable plan treats the expected date as a placeholder and confirms details as the date approaches.
- Lock in a private guide and vehicle for any Eid, Mawlid or Friday/Monday-shifted holiday at least two to three weeks ahead, availability for the best slots disappears first.
- Treat the table above as a planning placeholder for lunar dates, and reconfirm the exact day once the relevant moon-sighting is announced, usually one to two days before.
- Build in a buffer day either side of a long weekend for the most popular attractions, since the surge in demand often starts the evening before the holiday and tapers a day after it ends.
- For any government paperwork or consular visit tied to your trip, schedule it clear of the holiday dates in the table, those offices close on the day itself.
Three UAE holidays sit on fixed dates you can plan against years out, four more follow the lunar calendar and only firm up days before. Treat the table above as the working plan, book guides and vehicles early for anything that becomes a long weekend, and reconfirm the exact date once the moon-sighting announcement lands.
