Whether you’re here for the religious holidays or looking for those crucial long weekends and staycays, The Insider has the ultimate list of UAE holidays.
The UAE blesses us with numerous holidays both in the public and private sector, leaving its residents time to spend with family, celebrating holy months, or flying off for a long weekend to nearby Sri Lanka or even Seychelles. To ensure you don’t miss out, we bring you the confirmed full holiday list for 2023.
The first of these was of course January 1st on New Year’s Day, and there are a subsequent 13 public holidays after this. Coming up fast is Eid al Fitr, celebrating the end of Ramadan, the holy month, which is expected to fall on April 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of April. These are a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – is the perfect four-day weekend en route?
Next up is Arafat Day, followed by Eid al Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice), this is one of the most notorious days in the Islamic calendar and is anticipated to fall on June 28th, 29th, and 30th. There could be a holiday period of consecutive dates from Tuesday 27th-30th, and if you include the weekend of July 1st and 2nd this could become even more epic.
Confirmed dates for both of the Eids will only be announced in Dubai according to the moon sightings, but we thought we’d bring it to you ASAP so you can your holiday request in early, and flights booked out.
On July 19th there’s another public holiday for the Islamic New Year, which is the first of the Islamic lunar calendar and month of Muharram. Then we wish a very happy birthday to the The Prophet Muhammas (PBUH) on September 27th, and the last of the holidays in December, with Commemoration Day on Dec 1st, then National Day on Saturday Dec 2nd, and the second National Day on Sunday December 3rd.
Lost track? Here’s a quick breakdown for you:
- New Year’s Day, January 1st
- Eid al Fitr: April 20th, 21st, 22th and 23rd
- Arafat Day: June 27th
- Eid al Adha: June 28th, 29th, 30th
- Islamic New Year: July 19th
- The Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday: September 27th
- Commemoration Day: December 1st
- National Day: December 2nd, 3rd
If you like this, check out our article on Eid al Fitr gifting guide and holiday roundup.
