UAE Public Holidays 2026: Official Dates, Long Weekends and Upcoming Holidays

UAE public holidays for 2026 comprise seven official occasions and at least 12 paid days off across the public and private sectors, running from New Year's Day on 1 January to UAE National Day on 2–3 December. This page separates dates that authorities have formally confirmed through an official circular from dates that remain expected pending moon sighting, and it is refreshed whenever FAHR or MOHRE issues a new announcement. Five of this year's seven UAE holidays 2026 occasions — the Gregorian New Year, Eid Al Fitr, Arafat Day, Eid Al Adha and the Islamic New Year — have already taken place. The next public holiday in UAE is Prophet Muhammad's Birthday, expected in late August, followed by UAE National Day in December. Dubai public holidays 2026 generally follow this same federal calendar, and any UAE long weekends 2026 depend entirely on the government's holiday-transfer decisions rather than the calendar alone.

Travelling during a holiday period? Check Dubai visa processing times before selecting your departure date.

Is Today a UAE Public Holiday?

Editorial/dev note: this answer is a static snapshot tied to the date above, not a live calculation. It must be manually re-checked and re-published on each update cycle unless this section is rebuilt as a server-rendered module pulling from the confirmed/expected date fields in the calendar table. Do not describe it as "automatic" until that build exists.

UAE Public Holidays 2026 Calendar

UAE Public and Private-Sector Holidays

The federal holiday framework set out in Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 applies to both the public and private sectors, but FAHR (public sector) and MOHRE (private sector) issue separate circulars, and the two do not always match exactly. In 2026, federal government staff received a bonus pre-Arafat Day off on 25 May, while private-sector employees' paid leave began a day later, on 26 May. Private-sector employees are generally entitled to paid leave for officially observed public holidays under UAE labour law; those required to work are typically entitled to a substitute rest day or additional pay. Local governments — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and others — may issue their own operational circulars, and individual employers may apply shift-based or essential-service schedules that differ from the general calendar. Employees should always check their employment contract, employer announcement and the applicable labour rules rather than assume every business closes uniformly.

UAE Bank Holidays 2026

Bank branches generally close, or move to reduced hours, on officially declared public holidays, while digital banking, ATMs and card payments typically continue operating without interruption. Multi-day breaks such as Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha can affect domestic transfer timing, cheque clearing and settlement cut-offs, since clearing-house processing pauses on non-working days. Individual banks publish their own customer-service schedules around each holiday, so it's worth checking with your bank directly for the exact hours during any of the UAE bank holidays 2026.

Not every banking service stops during a holiday, and international transfers do not universally halt — the impact varies by bank and by how many consecutive non-working days the holiday creates.

Gregorian New Year Holiday

New Year's Day fell on Thursday, 1 January 2026, and was a confirmed one-day paid holiday for both sectors. As a fixed Gregorian date, it required no moon-sighting confirmation. Government offices, most banks and many private businesses closed for the day, while public transport in Dubai generally continued running on a normal or lightly adjusted schedule. This holiday has now passed for 2026.

Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha Holidays

Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha together delivered four official holiday days in 2026: Arafat Day on Tuesday, 26 May, followed by Eid Al Adha across Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 and Friday 29 May. The UAE Council for Fatwa confirmed these dates after the Dhul Hijjah crescent was sighted on 17 May. Combined with the weekend, private-sector employees enjoyed six consecutive days off (26–31 May), while the federal public sector's break started a day earlier, on Monday, 25 May, for a longer stretch. This period also coincides with the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage season and typically brings high demand for flights, hotels and government-service appointments in the days immediately before and after. This holiday has already been observed for 2026.

Prophet Mohammed's Birthday Holiday

Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (Mawlid Al Nabi), observed on 12 Rabi Al Awwal, is a one-day official public holiday. The 2026 Hijri date is currently expected to fall on Tuesday, 25 August, subject to confirmation by the UAE's moon-sighting process closer to the occasion. Some planning calendars and news reports have floated a possible shift of the paid day off to Monday, 24 August under the transfer rule that applies to all UAE holidays except the two Eid celebrations — but as of this update, no FAHR or MOHRE circular has confirmed that transfer, and it should be treated as unofficial speculation, not an announced date. Both public and private sector employees are set to receive the one-day paid holiday once the Hijri date is confirmed; any transfer will be confirmed separately.

Is Commemoration Day a UAE Public Holiday?

Commemoration Day, marked on 30 November, is a significant national day of remembrance honouring Emirati martyrs from the military, civil and humanitarian fields, observed nationwide through a minute of silence and official ceremonies. It is not included as a separate statutory occasion in the current federal holiday framework's list of seven public holidays, and this page does not list it as an independent paid day off in the main calendar table above. In some previous years, related time off has been aligned with the National Day break rather than granted as its own separate holiday, but this arrangement is not automatic and should not be assumed for 2026 without a current, year-specific FAHR or MOHRE circular. Readers planning around late November and early December should check the official announcement closer to the date rather than relying on this page alone for that specific detail.

How Public Holidays Affect UAE Government Services

Immigration offices, Emirates ID service centres, medical fitness centres, courts, municipal service counters and government call centres generally close on officially declared public holidays. Online government services and digital application portals typically remain available for submissions during the break, but manual review, biometric appointments, document verification and in-person collection generally resume only once offices reopen on the next working day. Processing-time estimates published by government departments and service providers usually count working days only, so a multi-day holiday such as Eid effectively adds those non-working days to any stated turnaround time. Urgent or emergency services may follow a separate, reduced schedule during a holiday period — it's worth checking the specific department's holiday notice rather than assuming standard hours apply.

Travel Planning During UAE Public Holidays

Flight and hotel demand rise sharply around Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha and National Day, often pushing fares and room rates well above normal levels in the days immediately before and after each break. Expect heavier road traffic and longer airport queues at Dubai's airports during these windows, along with busier bookings for popular attractions, restaurants and family destinations. Government-office closures mean visa, Emirates ID and other administrative appointments should be scheduled around the holiday rather than during it, while banks may need extra processing days for transfers, as outlined above. Public transport generally keeps running, sometimes on a modified schedule, and shopping-mall and attraction hours are often extended during major breaks such as Eid and National Day.

UAE Public Holiday Calendar Download

Planned: a downloadable version of this UAE public holidays 2026 calendar — including a printable PDF, an add-to-calendar (ICS) option and separate public-sector and private-sector views — refreshed whenever a status changes from expected to confirmed, with each file dated and estimated Islamic dates clearly marked.

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