Residents mapping out their time off next year have plenty to look forward to, as the UAE’s 2027 holiday schedule points to multiple extended breaks—though a number of the dates hinge on lunar observations that won’t be settled until closer to each occasion.
The year opens with New Year’s Day landing on Friday, January 1. Because it sits at the front of the weekend, the day off rolls into Saturday and Sunday for a three-day stretch, and offices won’t reopen until Monday, January 4.
Come summer, Islamic New Year marks the start of Muharram on the Hijri calendar. Pending the moon sighting, it is projected for Sunday, June 6.
A little over two months later, Muslims will observe the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Birthday, or Mawlid Al Nabawi, which falls on the 12th of Rabi Al Awwal. Current projections place it on Saturday, August 14, subject to the moon.
The most flexible entry on the calendar is Eid Al Fitr, the celebration closing out Ramadan. Fasting is anticipated to start February 8, which puts the festival’s opening around March 9. Whether it spans three or four days comes down to the Shawwal crescent: should the moon go unseen on the 29th evening of Ramadan and the month fill out its 30th day, March 12 joins the holiday. That addition would stretch the time off to four days, and with the weekend attached, residents could see a six-day run.
Roughly two months on, Arafah Day—regarded among Islam’s most sacred dates—leads into Eid Al Adha and its three further days of leave. The block is penciled in for May 15 through 18, contingent on when the Dhu Al Hijja crescent is confirmed.
Rounding out the year, the country will mark its 56th Eid Al Etihad, or National Day, across two days expected to fall Thursday, December 2, and Friday, December 3. The trailing weekend could turn that into a four-day holiday running through Sunday, December 5.
The moon-sighting element explains why so many of these dates carry an asterisk. Every Hijri month runs either 29 or 30 days, and dedicated committees meet on the 29th to check for the new crescent. A confirmed sighting begins the next month the following day; if nothing is spotted, the current month extends to a full 30. All Islamic holiday dates therefore remain estimates until UAE authorities issue official confirmation.
