UAE Public Holidays 2027: Every Date, the Long Weekends and What Each Day Marks

The UAE has seven official public holiday occasions in 2027, worth 12 days off, or 13 if Ramadan lasts 30 days. Only two dates are fixed.

The rest follow the Islamic lunar calendar, so this guide gives the expected dates, explains what each occasion marks, and shows where the long weekends fall.

2027 at a glance

The long weekends worth planning, and the ones that are not

Not every holiday day creates a break. With the UAE weekend on Saturday and Sunday, a holiday’s value in 2027 depends on where its days land, not just how many it carries.

National Day is the cleanest break of the year. Thursday 2 and Friday 3 December, plus the weekend, give four days in a row on fixed dates, so travel can be booked early with confidence.

Eid Al Fitr is the longest potential break. In the 30-day case it runs six days, Tuesday to Sunday. In the 29-day case, one leave day on Friday 12 March creates the same six days.

Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha give four calendar days, Saturday 15 to Tuesday 18 May, but Saturday and Sunday are already weekend days. The two extra weekdays are Monday and Tuesday, and adding Wednesday to Friday as leave makes a nine-day stretch.

Hijri New Year and the Prophet’s Birthday add no weekday off as projected. They fall on Sunday 6 June and Saturday 14 August, both weekend days, unless an official announcement says otherwise.

Why the Islamic dates move every year

The Islamic, or Hijri, calendar follows the moon. A Hijri year has about 354 days, roughly 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, so every Islamic holiday arrives about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year.

Each Hijri month lasts 29 or 30 days, and the next month begins when the crescent is sighted. The UAE announces the confirmed date only after that sighting, which is why every Islamic date in this guide is marked as expected.

Ramadan 2027 sets up the whole first quarter

Ramadan is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027, according to astronomical calculations from the Emirates Astronomical Society. It is a working month in the UAE, observed with fasting from dawn to sunset and reduced working hours, rather than a public holiday.

How Ramadan ends decides the Eid Al Fitr break. If the Shawwal crescent is sighted after 29 days, Eid Al Fitr runs from Tuesday 9 March. If Ramadan completes 30 days, 30 Ramadan itself becomes a holiday, and the break runs to Friday 12 March.

New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January

New Year’s Day marks the start of the Gregorian calendar year. It is the only fixed-date holiday in the first half of 2027, and it falls on a Friday, so it opens the year with a three-day weekend.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi mark the night with fireworks, and the day itself is a quiet one for most residents. It is the simplest break of the year to plan, because the date never moves.

Eid Al Fitr, Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 March

Eid Al Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. Muslims celebrate with morning prayers, family gatherings and giving, and the festival is often called the Festival of Breaking the Fast.

The holiday runs for three days, from 1 to 3 Shawwal. If Ramadan lasts 30 days, the holiday starts a day earlier, on 30 Ramadan, and runs to Friday 12 March.

Arafah Day, Saturday 15 May

Arafah Day is the day pilgrims stand on Mount Arafat during Hajj, the most important day of the pilgrimage. It is a day of prayer and reflection, and it falls on 9 Dhu Al Hijjah.

In the UAE it is a public holiday in its own right. It opens the Eid Al Adha break, which runs through Tuesday 18 May.

Eid Al Adha, Sunday 16 to Tuesday 18 May

Eid Al Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. Muslims sacrifice an animal and share the meat with family and those in need.

The holiday runs for three days, from 10 to 12 Dhu Al Hijjah, and it coincides with Hajj. Together with Arafah Day, it gives four calendar days off.

Hijri New Year, Sunday 6 June

The Hijri New Year marks the start of the Islamic lunar year, on 1 Muharram. It commemorates the Hijra, Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, which marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

It is a quieter occasion than the Eids, observed with reflection rather than celebration. In 2027 it falls on a Sunday, so it adds no weekday off unless the Cabinet moves it.

Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday, Saturday 14 August

The Prophet’s Birthday, or Mawlid Al Nabawi, celebrates the birth of Prophet Muhammad on 12 Rabi Al Awwal. Muslims observe it with prayers, gatherings and reflection on his life and teachings.

In 2027 it falls on a Saturday, so it adds no weekday off unless the Cabinet moves it. It is a one-day holiday.

National Day (Eid Al Etihad), Thursday 2 and Friday 3 December

National Day, now called Eid Al Etihad, celebrates the unification of the seven emirates into the UAE on 2 December 1971. It is the country’s biggest patriotic occasion, marked with parades, fireworks, flag displays and the official Eid Al Etihad celebrations.

The holiday runs for two days, Thursday 2 and Friday 3 December, and the weekend stretches it to four days. The UAE also marks Commemoration Day on 1 December, a day of remembrance for fallen servicemen, which is not a public holiday.

Download the guide

We have put the full calendar into a printable PDF, with the dates, the long weekends and a note on each holiday. Download the UAE Public Holidays 2027 guide (PDF).

The holiday list is official, set by Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 for both the public and private sectors. The Islamic dates are astronomical projections and can move by a day, and the UAE confirms each one by moon sighting, close to the date.