Eid Al Adha is set to fall at the end of May, with official dates set to be revealed later this week.
In UAE public holiday law, the break is scheduled to officially begin with Arafat Day on the 9th day of the Islamic month of Dhu Al Hijjah before rolling into the celebration of Eid Al Adha on Dhu Al Hijjah 10, 11 and 12.
And, according to current astronomical predictions, that would mean the holiday will begin on Tuesday May 26 and provide a six-day long weekend when combined with Saturday and Sunday.
However, there is some flexibility with the UAE’s public holiday law which could mean we’ll get another day off work in Dubai.
The law states that local governments, such as Dubai’s, can determine any other public holidays for the public and private sector.
This means that instead of Monday May 25 being a working day, that it could be added to the Eid Al Adha break if the Dubai government chooses to do so. However, this is unlikely and has not been enforced since the UAE public holiday law was introduced in 2025.
If this happened, then it would mean that the Dubai holiday for the private sector would be aligned with the already announced school holidays and public sector break across the country.
Government workers have already been told that Monday May 25 through to Friday May 29 will be an official holiday in the UAE.
Similarly, students, teachers and administrative staff at private and public schools will officially be out of the classroom (and no distance learning either) between Monday May 25 and Friday May 29. When combined with the weekend, this brings a nine-day weekend.
According to Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Director of the Sharjah Space and Astronomy Hub, Dhu Al Hijjah will likely begin on Monday May 18.
Workers across the country will enjoy a six-day break, combined with the weekend, if Dhu Al Qa’dah, the 11th month of the Islamic calendar, is a 29-day month.
If Dhu Al Qa’dah is a 29-day month, then the final day of the month will be Monday May 18. This would then mean that Arafat Day and the Eid Al Adha break would begin on Tuesday May 26, giving us a six-day long weekend with Friday May 29 being the final day of the public holiday before the break rolls into the official Dubai weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
