UAE Public Holidays 2026 Announced: Turn 9 Days Of Annual Leave Into 38 days Off!

Head’s up folks! It’s time to start plotting those leave days.

If you’re already dreaming about your next long break, this one’s for you. The official UAE public holidays for 2026 are out, and yes, there are some seriously long weekend in the mix

The UAE celebrates a mix of fixed-date holidays (based on the Gregorian calendar) and Islamic holidays, which follow the Hijri lunar calendar. That means occasions like Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha are only officially confirmed a few days before they happen, once the moon is sighted. Still, astronomers can make pretty solid predictions well in advance, which is how we get an early heads-up like this.

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Here are all the upcoming holidays:

Based on current astronomical estimates and the UAE public holiday law, here’s how 2026 is shaping up:

• New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1

• Eid Al Fitr: Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 22

• Arafat Day: Tuesday, May 26

• Eid Al Adha: Wednesday, May 27 to Friday, May 29

• Islamic New Year: Monday, June 15
  (The actual date falls on Tuesday, June 16, but the holiday is expected to move to the start of the week)

• Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (PBUH): Monday, August 24
  (Official date is Tuesday, August 25, with the holiday likely moved to Monday)

• UAE National Day: Wednesday, December 2 and Thursday, December 3

If these dates hold, most holidays won’t land on weekends, which is always a win.

Also worth noting: local governments can add extra public holidays if they choose to, so there’s always a chance of a bonus day off.

The long weekends you’ll want to plan around

With a bit of smart planning, 2026 could be very kind to your annual leave balance. Here’s how to stretch your days off as far as possible.

1. New Year

• Public holiday: Thursday, January 1

• Take off: Friday, January 2

• What you get: A four-day break using just one leave day

2. Eid Al Fitr

• Public holidays: Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 22

• Take off: Monday, March 16 to Friday, March 20

• What you get: A seven-day break using five leave days

3. Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha

• Public holidays: Tuesday, May 26 to Friday, May 29

• Take off: Monday, May 25

• What you get: A massive nine-day break with just one leave day, thanks to weekends on both sides

4. Islamic New Year

• Public holiday: Wednesday, June 17

• Take off: Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19

• What you get: A five-day break including the weekend

5. Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (PBUH)

• Public holiday: Tuesday, August 25

• Take off: Monday, August 24

• What you get: A four-day break with the weekend

6. UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad)

• Public holidays: Wednesday and Thursday, December 2–3

• Take off: Monday, November 30; Tuesday, December 1; and Friday, December 4

• What you get: A nine-day end-of-year break using three leave days

So with a total of 13 days public holidays + extra 9 days of your annual leaves + smart planning = you can get a total of 38 days off.

Woohooo!

If you’re the kind of person who likes to plan holidays early (or submit leave requests before everyone else does), 2026 is looking very generous.

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