Your Guide to the UAE Public Holidays Calendar and Its Shifting Dates

The Days the United Arab Emirates Closes and the Ones That Move

You booked a hotel room in Dubai for early December. Now the rates have tripled. You planned a morning at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on a Friday. It does not open until after 3 p.m. The reason is the same: the UAE public holidays calendar runs on two systems at once, and the one that causes the most disruption changes dates every year. Fixed Gregorian dates like UAE National Day on 2 December stay put. Islamic lunar celebrations such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha shift roughly 10 to 12 days earlier each year. You cannot plan around the calendar once. Check it before every booking.

How the Calendar Splits Into Fixed and Floating

Fixed Dates: Predictable, Manageable

The UAE declares two kinds of public holidays. The fixed group runs on the Gregorian calendar: New Year's Day on 1 January, Commemoration Day on 1 December, and UAE National Day on 2 and 3 December. These never move. Shops close but most attractions stay open; the disruption is limited to crowds and hotel prices.

Lunar Dates: The Ones That Catch You Out

The floating group follows the Islamic lunar calendar: Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Islamic New Year, and the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. The lunar year is shorter by about 11 days. A celebration that fell in May this year lands in April next year and March the year after. The exact dates are not confirmed until a month or two before, because they depend on a moon sighting committee. Flight and hotel prices spike as soon as the dates are announced.

UAE Public Holidays Calendar: the Dates That Matter for Travellers

The following table shows the holidays that directly affect a visit. The lunar dates shift annually, so the Gregorian dates listed are approximate ranges based on recent years.

Eid Al Fitr UAE Travel Impact

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. It is the most disruptive celebration on the calendar for travel. The public break lasts 2 to 3 days for the private sector and 3 days for the public sector. Many residents extend it into a week by using annual leave. The result: every hotel within 200 kilometres of Dubai and Abu Dhabi sells out. Roads between emirates become parking lots. Airport traffic surges as residents fly out and inbound leisure travellers arrive.

Alcohol sales stop entirely in most emirates during the three main days of the feast. Restaurants in hotels still serve food, but the bar closes. If you arrive during this period, book accommodation six months ahead, confirm the alcohol policy at your specific hotel, and budget for restaurants rather than room service if you want a drink.

The same pattern repeats at Eid al-Adha, roughly two months later. Skip both unless you want the festive atmosphere and have secured a booking far in advance.

UAE National Day Closures

What Shuts and What Stays Open

UAE National Day on 2 December is fixed, predictable, and expensive. Hotels double their rates for the long weekend. Domestic travellers fill beach resorts in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Road closures affect the area around the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque for official celebrations.

Government offices and post offices close on 2 December and the observed holiday on 3 December. Banks close. Malls stay open and run sales. Attractions manage the surge with timed entry; book tickets for the Burj Khalifa observation deck at least two weeks ahead. If you are driving between emirates on the evening of 2 December, add an extra hour to the journey.

The Day Before That Nobody Plans For

The less well known disruption comes from Commemoration Day on 1 December, the day before National Day. This is a quieter date, but government services shut and some cultural sites close. Build your itinerary to avoid needing a visa office, museum, or passport service on that day.

Ramadan Dates UAE Shift

How the Country Changes

Ramadan is not a public holiday itself, but it changes the entire rhythm of the country. It shifts roughly 10 days earlier each Gregorian year. In 2026 it fell in April; by 2029 it will fall in January. Check the exact dates before booking. The UAE during Ramadan is fundamentally different from the rest of the year.

During the holy month, eating, drinking, and smoking in public during daylight hours is prohibited for everyone regardless of religion. Most restaurants close until iftar, the breaking of the fast at sunset. Licensed venues stop serving alcohol during the day and may restrict evening service. Working hours reduce by two hours for all employees, meaning shops open later and close later. Many attractions adjust their hours, opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 11 p.m. or midnight.

What You Can and Cannot Do

The practical effect: if you want to eat lunch, you need a hotel room with a minibar, or you eat in a restaurant inside a hotel that serves behind curtains. If you plan to visit a mosque like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the hours are shorter and the dress code enforcement is stricter. If you want alcohol, you may not get it at all during some evenings.

The trade off is thinner tourist crowds and lower hotel rates than in peak season. Adapt your schedule to eat late and sightsee after sunset, and the month is manageable. If you need a normal day, skip it.

Friday Hours UAE Attractions

Friday is not a public holiday, but it is the holy day of the week. Most attractions open later on Friday morning, after 1:30 p.m. or 2 p.m., because of Friday prayers. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi opens at 9 a.m. but closes for prayers from noon to 3 p.m. The Museum of the Future in Dubai opens at 10 a.m. every day except during Friday prayers when it shifts to afternoon hours.

Malls open around 10 a.m. but the food court does not serve until after noon. Beaches open. Desert safaris run as normal. The problem is the gap between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., when most cultural attractions are closed and the outdoor heat makes walking uncomfortable from May to October.

Book a Friday morning for an outdoor activity: a desert safari or a walk along Dubai Creek. Then head to a mall or a hotel pool for the midday gap. After 3 p.m., everything is open and operates at full capacity.

The Single Mistake That Ruins the Trip

The most common error travellers make is booking flights and hotels without checking where the lunar calendar lands for that year. A visitor who books a seven day trip for late March without knowing that Eid al-Fitr falls in that window lands in a country where the hotel is full, the roads are gridlocked, and the bar is closed. The same visitor who books for early September without checking Ramadan may realise on arrival that lunch is only available in a hotel room. The fix is trivial. Before you enter a credit card number, open the UAE government portal at u.ae, find the list of predicted lunar dates, and confirm that your travel dates fall outside the three floating holidays. If they do not, move the trip by two weeks in either direction. That single check separates a smooth trip from a frustrating one.