When is the next public holiday and long weekend in the UAE?

While we didn’t snag an extra day off for New Year, there are more public holidays and precious long weekends in the UAE to look forward to.

So, when is the next UAE public holiday?

Under the direction of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the UAE Cabinet announced the public holidays for 2023 last month. As New Year’s Day fell on a Sunday, the first official holiday of 2023 will be after the Holy Month of Ramadan, when we celebrate Eid al Fitr from Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3. On the Gregorian calendar, these dates correspond to Thursday April 20 to Sunday April 23, although this is dependent on the sighting of the moon.

So, while it’s likely we’ll enjoy a four-day weekend for the next public holiday. It won’t be until April.

Then when is the next public holiday?

Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha

The next holiday after that will be Arafat Day, which falls on Dhul Hijjah 9. This is expected to be on Tuesday June 27, depending on the lunar calendar. The following day after Arafat Day marks the start of Eid al Adha. It is the second and the larger of the two holidays celebrated in Islam. It falls on Dhul Hijjah 10 to 12, which corresponds to Wednesday, June 28 to 30. Paired with Arafat Day, we will have a long six-day weekend (for those of us who usually have a two-day weekend