UAE Holidays 2026: Long Weekends and Public Breaks to Expect

Some of the many long weekends and extended public holidays in the calendar to be enjoyed by the UAE residents next year will be confirmed later next year by the UAE cabinet. Depending on predicted schedules and historical trends, most of these holidays may coincide with the weekends to make the holidays longer to the populace.

The first day of year is New Year and it falls on Thursday, January 1, 2015, so it is possible to have a four-day weekend in the form of a combination with the weekend in Friday-Saturday.

Ramadan will end in Eid Al Fitr in between March 19 to 22 (Thursday to Sunday). This implies that commuters have another four-day holiday. Islamic holidays however are subject to the sighting of the moon hence are tentative.

The eve of Eid Al Adha, known as Arafat Day, is expected to be on Tuesday, May 26 and Eid Al Adha is expected to run between May 27 to 29 (Wednesday to Friday). This combined with the weekend provides another possible time off during the week.

Islamic New Year or Hijri New Year is further expected on Tuesday, June 16 and birthday of prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is expected on Tuesday, August 25. They can be characterized by the holidays lasting one day.

The year ends with one of the greatest national holidays: Commemoration Day and UAE National Day during Tuesday, December 1 and Wednesday, December 2 as well as Thursday, December 3. In case Friday, December 4 is added to holidays list, residents may have six days off.

These forecasts will provide a glimpse of how UAE dwellers should get to look forward to such that in the future, say 2026, they may be able to pre-plan their vacations and family time. The official calendar of 2026 public holidays, which are published by the UAE Cabinet, is expected to be issued.