Workers across the UAE’s private and public sectors will observe a day off on Friday, August 28, when the country marks the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Birthday, according to an announcement from the UAE government’s media office on Friday, August 7.
Falling alongside the regular Dubai weekend, the designated day off creates a three-day break for residents.
While the holiday has been fixed for August 28, the religious occasion itself is expected to land on Tuesday, August 25. Authorities opted to move the day off to the close of the week rather than keep it at midweek. Under the UAE’s public holiday law, holidays may be relocated to either the start or the end of the week, with Eid celebrations being the sole exception to that rule.
The Prophet’s (PBUH) Birthday falls during Rabi Al-Awwal, the third month on the Islamic calendar. The day carries national significance in numerous Muslim-majority countries, and Gulf states such as the UAE observe it with an official holiday.
The reason such dates move each year traces back to the calendar system that governs them. Islamic observances follow the Hijri calendar, which tracks the phases of the moon, whereas the Gregorian calendar in common use worldwide is tied to the sun. Muslims globally rely on this lunar system to fix the timing of religious events. Because the Hijri year runs roughly 10 to 12 days shorter than its Gregorian counterpart, occasions including Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr, and Eid Al Adha arrive on different Gregorian dates from one year to the next.
Looking further ahead on the UAE’s 2026 calendar, Eid Al Etihad — previously called Union Day — is set for Wednesday, December 2, and Thursday, December 3, when the nation observes its National Day. Whether those midweek dates will be shifted toward the weekend or stretched to fold in the adjacent days off has yet to be confirmed.
