Public holidays in United Arab Emirates 2026
There are 12 public holidays in 2026. 10 of them fall on a working day.
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All 12 public holidays in United Arab Emirates 2026
| Date | Weekday | Holiday | Local name | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | New Year's Day | رأس السنة الميلادية | ||
| Friday | Eid al-Fitr (estimated) | عيد الفطر (تقديري) | ||
| Saturday | Eid al-Fitr Holiday (estimated) | عطلة عيد الفطر (تقديري) | ||
| Sunday | Eid al-Fitr Holiday (estimated) | عطلة عيد الفطر (تقديري) | ||
| Tuesday | Day of Arafah (estimated) | وقفة عرفة (تقديري) | ||
| Wednesday | Eid al-Adha (estimated) | عيد الأضحى (تقديري) | ||
| Thursday | Eid al-Adha Holiday (estimated) | عطلة عيد الأضحى (تقديري) | ||
| Friday | Eid al-Adha Holiday (estimated) | عطلة عيد الأضحى (تقديري) | ||
| Tuesday | Islamic New Year (estimated) | رأس السنة الهجرية (تقديري) | ||
| Tuesday | Prophet's Birthday (estimated) | عيد المولد النبوي (تقديري) | ||
| Wednesday | National Day | اليوم الوطني | ||
| Thursday | National Day | اليوم الوطني |
Days marked "observed" are substitute days off when a holiday falls on a weekend. Holidays based on a lunar calendar can shift by a day once the official announcement is made.
Long weekends 2026
10 times a public holiday lies close to a weekend – with a little leave it becomes a long weekend:
| Take leave | Off | Days of leave | Days off | Ratio | Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 2 Jan | 1 Jan – 4 Jan 2026 | 1 | 4 | 4 | New Year's Day |
| Mon 16 Mar, Tue 17 Mar, Wed 18 Mar, Thu 19 Mar | 14 Mar – 22 Mar 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Eid al-Fitr (estimated), Eid al-Fitr Holiday (estimated), Eid al-Fitr Holiday (estimated) |
| Mon 25 May | 23 May – 31 May 2026 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Day of Arafah (estimated), Eid al-Adha (estimated), Eid al-Adha Holiday (estimated), Eid al-Adha Holiday (estimated) |
| Mon 15 Jun | 13 Jun – 16 Jun 2026 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Islamic New Year (estimated) |
| Wed 17 Jun, Thu 18 Jun, Fri 19 Jun | 16 Jun – 21 Jun 2026 | 3 | 6 | 2 | Islamic New Year (estimated) |
| Mon 24 Aug | 22 Aug – 25 Aug 2026 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Prophet's Birthday (estimated) |
| Wed 26 Aug, Thu 27 Aug, Fri 28 Aug | 25 Aug – 30 Aug 2026 | 3 | 6 | 2 | Prophet's Birthday (estimated) |
| Mon 30 Nov, Tue 1 Dec | 28 Nov – 3 Dec 2026 | 2 | 6 | 3 | National Day, National Day |
| Fri 4 Dec | 2 Dec – 6 Dec 2026 | 1 | 5 | 5 | National Day, National Day |
| Mon 28 Dec, Tue 29 Dec, Wed 30 Dec, Thu 31 Dec | 26 Dec – 3 Jan 2027 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | New Year's Day |
Counted are gaps of up to four working days between a public holiday and the weekend or another public holiday. "Ratio" = days off per day of leave. Weekends follow the local working week.
Dates are generated from the open-source library python-holidays and automatically cross-checked against Nager.Date and the public Google Calendar holiday calendars; every holiday on a working day must be confirmed by a second source. Official announcements take precedence, especially for holidays that depend on the moon or are declared at short notice.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does United Arab Emirates have in 2026?
12 public holidays. 2 of them fall on a weekend in 2026.
What is the next public holiday in United Arab Emirates?
As of 9 Nov 2026, the next holiday is National Day on Wednesday, 2 Dec 2026.
Which public holiday gives the best long weekend in 2026?
Day of Arafah (estimated), Eid al-Adha (estimated), Eid al-Adha Holiday (estimated): take 1 day of leave (25 May) and you get 9 days off in a row, 23 May – 31 May 2026.
Sources
- Data: python-holidays 0.105 (MIT licence), country code AE (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
- Cross-check: Nager.Date public holiday API (country not covered) (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
- Cross-check: Google Calendar public holiday calendar (en.ae) (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
Last updated:
Other years
- Public holidays 2026
- Public holidays 2027
- Public holidays 2028