Saturday 21 December 2024 (UAE)
Coronavirus in the UAE: Some information on this website is out of date as a result of measures taken in the UAE to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Confirm with official or authoritative sources.
List of official public holidays in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, UAE 2024
List of official UAE public holidays in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, other emirates for 2024 and 2025. Including Christmas, Easter, Eid Al Adha, Eid Al Fitr, New Years Eve, Prophets birthday, Ramadan.
In the UAE, government public sector workers get longer holidays than private sector workers on some occasions (Eid Al Adha, Eid Al Fitr, UAE National Day). Exact dates for Islamic holidays are not officially confirmed or announced until shortly before the holiday as they depend on moon sightings each month. See second table below for dates in 2024.
| Holiday name | Calendar date | Days | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [not a UAE holiday] | Gregorian | Islamic | Private | Public | |
| Arafat Day | 09 Zul Hijja | 1 | 1 | ||
| [Christmas] | 25 Dec | Not a public holiday. Events and displays at malls. | |||
| [Easter] | varies | Not a public holiday. | |||
| Eid Al Adha | 10 Zul Hijja | 3 | 3-5 | ||
| Eid Al Fitr | 01 Shawal | 2 | 3 | ||
| Hijri | 01 Muharram | 1 | 1 | Islamic new year's day | |
| Isra Wal Miraj | 27 Rajab | 1 | 1 | Night of Israa and Mi'raj, Lailat al Miraj | |
| [Laylat Al Qadr] | Not a public holiday | ||||
| Martyr's Day | 30 Nov | 1 | 1 | UAE Commemoration Day, started 30 Nov 2015 | |
| National Day UAE | 02 Dec | 1 | 2-3 | ||
| New Years Day | 01 Jan | 1 | 1 | ||
| New Years Eve | 31 Dec | Public holiday 01 Jan. Traffic jam 31 Dec to 01 Jan. | |||
| Prophet's birthday | 12 Rabi ul Awal | 1 | 1 | Eid Al Mawlid Al Nabawi (Al Nabi) | |
| [Ramadan] | 01-end Ramadan | Not a holiday, but daily working hours reduced. | |||
| [UAE Flag Day] | 03 Nov | Not a holiday. Anniversary of Sheikh Khalifa presidency in 2004. | |||
- Isra Wal Miraj = Israa and Miraj, Israa and Miaraj (?)
- Muharram = Muhrram
- Rabi ul Awal = Rabul Awal, Rabi Al Awwal, etc
- Shawal = Shawwal
- Zul Hijja = Dhul Hijja, Dhulhajja, Zul Hajja, Zulhijja, Zulhajja, etc
UAE Martyr's Day, Commemoration Day
Martyr's Day (renamed from Commemoration Day in 2018) is usually on 30 Nov each year, since 2015, to commemorate the memory of UAE citizens who have sacrificed their lives representing the UAE in civil, humanitarian, or military services. One minute silence held, UAE flag lowered in the morning and raised again after the one minute silence period, and UAE National Anthem played.
Public holidays by Gregorian (Hijri) calendar year
Public holidays for public sector workers in the UAE were longer than for private sector workers until 05 March 2019 when the UAE Cabinet decided that private and public sector workers should be given the same number of holidays. Some employers in the UAE have started to implement the new policy, and some haven't.
| Month | Holiday | 2017 dates Hijri 1438 |
2018 dates Hijri 1439 |
2019 dates Hijri 1440 |
2020 dates Hijri 1441 |
Days | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | Public | |||||||
| Jan | New Years Day | 01 Jan 2018 | 01 Jan 2019 | 01 Jan 2020 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Feb | ||||||||
| Mar | Easter | Easter not a holiday | ||||||
| Mar | Isra Wal Miraj | 22 Mar 2020 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Apr | Isra Wal Miraj | 03 Apr 2019 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Apr | Ramadan 2020 | 24 Apr-23 May | Ramadan not a holiday | |||||
| May | Ramadan 2018-2019 | 17 May-14 Jun | 06 May-03 Jun | Ramadan not a holiday | ||||
| May | Eid Al Fitr | 24 May 2020 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| Jun | Eid Al Fitr | 04 Jun 2019 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| Jul | Arafat Day | 30 Jul 2020 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Jul | Eid Al Adha | 31 Jul-02 Aug | 3 | 3-5 | ||||
| Aug | Hijri New Year | 31 Aug 2019 | 23 Aug 2020 | 1 | 1 | Islamic New Year | ||
| Aug | Arafat Day | 10 Aug 2019 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Aug | Eid Al Adha | 11 Aug 2019 | 3 | 3-5 | ||||
| Oct | Prophet's birthday | 29 Oct 2020 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Nov | Prophet's birthday | 09 Nov 2019 | 1 | 1 | 12 Rabi ul Awal | |||
| Nov-Dec | Martyr's Day | 29 Nov 2018 | 01 Dec 2019 | 01 Dec 2020 | 1 | 1 | Default is 30 Nov but varies | |
| Dec | National Day UAE | 02 Dec 2019 | 02 Dec 2020 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 02-03 Dec holiday in 2019, 2020 | ||
| Christmas Day | 25 Dec 2018 | 25 Dec 2019 | 25 Dec 2020 | Christmas Day not a holiday | ||||
| New Year's Eve | 31 Dec 2018 | 31 Dec 2019 | 31 Dec 2020 | NY Eve not a holiday | ||||
- Dates in italics not confirmed.
- Ramadan not a holiday but is a period when normal working hours are reduced from 8 hrs to 6 hrs per day.
Death of a member of the royal family, ruling family
- When the ruler of an emirate (sheikh) dies, schools and government organisations might be closed for a period of several days as part of the mourning period. It is not really appropriate to refer to this time as a holiday.
Working week in the UAE
- Normal work week in the UAE is either Saturday to Thursday (most private sector employers except for schools, universities, and other educational institutes), or Sunday to Thursday (most government employers).
- Friday is the normal holiday or day off each week. Sunday is not a holiday for everyone, Saturday is not a holiday for most private sector employees.
- Banks and post offices are closed on Fridays, and open Saturday-Thursday (some post offices are closed Saturdays also). Government offices, consulates and embassies are closed on Fridays and Saturdays, open Sundays to Thursdays.
- Until 2006 in the UAE, the weekend was Thursday-Friday, and 5 day work week was Sat-Wed with most private sector companies working either 5½ days or 6 days Sat-Thu. The UAE officially changed from Thu-Fri weekend to Fri-Sat weekend on Friday 01 September 2006 (announced 17 May 2006) for government offices and schools. Some private companies were already operating with a Fri-Sat weekend before this date.
- [Check, is correct? Reference?] In the mid 1990s, the UAE changed the weekend from Fri-Sat to Thu-Fri?
2020 UAE public holidays
Official list of holidays announced by UAE Cabinet on 31 October 2019.
2019 UAE public holidays
- Martyr's Day for 2019 first announced as 01 Dec 2019, then (on 08 Sep 2019) changed back to 30 Nov 2019, then (on 31 Oct 2019) changed back to 01 Dec 2019.
- Public sector workers (government employees) will have an extended long weekend break, a 5 day holiday from from Fri 29 Nov 2019 to Tue 03 Dec 2019, return to work on Wed 04 Dec 2019.
- Private sector workers will probably have to work on Sat 30 Nov but will get holidays on Sun 01 Dec 2019 and Mon 02 Dec 2019.
- Private sector workers who usually have a 2 day weekend should have a continuous break from Fri 29 Nov 2019 to Mon 02 Dec 2019, return to work Tue 03 Dec or Wed 04 Dec 2019 depending on employer.
- 31 Oct 2019: UAE Cabinet announced holiday dates for 2019-2020. Fixed (Gregorian Calendar) dates were: 09 Nov 2019 (Prophet's Birthday), 01 Dec 2019 (Commemoration or Martyr's Day), 02-03 Dec 2019 (UAE National Day), 01 Jan 2020 (New Year's Day), 23 Aug 2020 (Islamic New Year), 29 Oct 2020 (Prophet's Birthday), 01 Dec 2020 (Commemoration or Martyr's Day), 02-03 Dec 2020 (UAE National Day). To be confirmed dates were: Eid Al Fitr (29 Ramadan to 03 Shawwal), Arafat Day (09 Dhu al-Hijjah), Eid Al Ahda (10-12 Dhu al-Hijjah).
- Note that fixed holiday dates can sometimes be changed anyway.
- Reference: UAE Government Communication Office, twitter.com/uaegov/status/1189841731979747329.
- 08 Sep 2019: Revised list of holidays issued by the UAE Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR). Changes include Martyr's Day moved back to 30 Nov 2019, and inclusion of date for Prophet's Birthday (12 Rabie Al Awwal).
- Prophet's Birthday conflicting dates given, 09 Nov 2019 and 10 Nov 2019, but most recent official UAE government reference states 09 Nov 2019 (31 Oct 2019 announcement).
2015 public holidays in Dubai and UAE
- Prophet Mohammed's birthday holiday announced as Sat 03 Jan 2015 for private sector. Public sector will not get an extra day - federal and government ministries and offices are closed on Saturdays anyway (WAM 28 Dec 2014).
- New Years Day holiday for both public and private sector on Thu 01 Jan 2015. Private sector will also get a holiday on Sat 03 Jan 2015 for the Prophet's Birthday. Announced 14 Nov 2014.
2014 public holidays in the UAE
- National Day holidays for Public Sector announced (WAM 08 Nov 2014) as 02-04 Dec 2014, resulting in an extended break from Tue 02 Dec Dec to Sat 06 Dec 2014 with weekend included. Private sector holiday announced (WAM 13 Nov 2014) as one day only on Tue 02 Dec 2014.
- Hijri Islamic New Year date is Sat 25 Oct 2014. One day holiday declared for private sector, no holiday for public sector (but public sector weekend is Fri-Sat so Sat is an off day anyway).
- Ramadan starts on 29 Jun 2014.
- Israa wal Miraj date is Mon 26 May 2014, but UAE holiday announced as Sun 25 May 2014 to make a long weekend for the public sector, and for private sector workers with a 2 day weekend (WAM 13 May 2014).
- Prophet's Birthday and public sector holiday confirmed as Sun 12 Jan 2014 (different from predicted date of 13 Jan 2014). Holiday for private sector on Sat 11 Jan or Sun 12 Jan to be added to normal weekend (Sat if Fri, Sun if Fri and Sat weekend). Announced 05 Jan 2014 (WAM).
2013 public holidays in the UAE
- Hijri Islamic New Year date is Tue 05 Nov 2013, however public holidays have been announced as follows (WAM, 27 Oct 2013):
- Sat 02 Nov 2013 for private sector workers.
- Sun 03 Nov 2013 for public sector employees, and schools and other educational institutes.
- Tue 05 Nov 2013 will be work as normal.
Archive dates table
| Month | Holiday | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 dates Hijri 1436 |
2016 dates Hijri 1437 |
2017 | 2018 | Days | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | Public | |||||||||
| Jan | New Years Day | 01 Jan 2013 | 01 Jan 2014 | 01 Jan 2015 | 01 Jan 2016 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Prophet's birthday | 24 Jan 2013 | 12 Jan 2014 | 03 Jan 2015 | 11 Dec 2016 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Feb | ||||||||||
| Mar | ||||||||||
| Apr | ||||||||||
| May | Isra Wal Miraj | 26 May 2014 | 15/16 May 2015 | 05 May 2016 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Jun | Isra Wal Miraj | 06 Jun 2013 | ||||||||
| *Ramadan 2014-16 | 29 Jun start | 18 Jun start | 07 Jun start | |||||||
| Jul | Eid Al Fitr | 28 Jul 2014 | 17 Jul 2015 | 07 Jul 2016 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| Aug | Eid Al Fitr | 08 Aug 2013 | ||||||||
| Sep | Arafat Day | 23 Sep 2015 | 12 Sep 2016 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Eid Al Adha | 24 Sep 2015 | 13 Sep 2016 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Oct | Arafat Day | 14 Oct 2013 | 03 Oct 2014 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Eid Al Adha | 15 Oct 2013 | 04 Oct 2014 | 3 | 3-5 | ||||||
| Hijri New Year | 25 Oct 2014 | 15 Oct 2015 | 03 Oct 2016 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Nov | Hijri New Year | 05 Nov 2013 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Dec | National Day UAE | 02 Dec 2013 | 02 Dec 2014 | 02 Dec 2015 | 1 | 2-3 | ||||
| Prophet's birthday | 24 Dec 2015 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 02 Dec 2016 | ||||||||||
| 12 Dec 2016 | ||||||||||
Categories
- Parent category - UAE, Dubai.
- Child pages - holidays - Eid Al Adha, Eid Al Fitr, Ramadan.
- Related pages - holidays in Dubai, events in Dubai.
Headings
References
- WAM, the official UAE news agency has news releases online but sometimes they are published in UAE newspapers such as Gulf News, Khaleej Times, The National before they are available on the WAM news site.
Last update Tuesday 26-Nov-2019. Page development 1H 2T 3D 4L 5C.
Related pages
- Eid Al Adha
- Eid Al Fitr
- Holidays in Dubai. Budget holidays to Dubai.
- Ramadan
- School calendar holidays and term dates.
Related websites (new window)
- [Disabled] Submit URL.