
Checking which days are official holidays in United Arab Emirates? The live calendar below covers recently observed dates and everything coming up. United Arab Emirates observes 2 official public holidays mandated by national law (including Commemoration Day (Martyrs' Day), UAE National Day). Not every holiday lands on the same date annually — fixed-date national days repeat exactly, while Easter-based, Islamic-calendar or lunar observances move each year, which the calendar reflects with each year's specific date rather than guessing a repeat. Jump straight to the live calendar below, or read on for how the dates are worked out.
Why This Matters: Public holidays in United Arab Emirates directly affect banking hours, courier deliveries and retail operations. This calendar is a standard reference point for market research teams tracking regional business cycles working with partners, offices or operations in United Arab Emirates.
Quick Links: United Arab Emirates Overview | Map | Currency | Travel Info | Nearby Countries | Statutory Holidays | How Holidays Work | States & Regional
Live public holiday calendar for United Arab Emirates, embedded directly from Google's official public calendar — always shows Google's current data.
◀ Showing upcoming holidays — use the back arrow in the calendar's toolbar to see earlier dates this year.
ℹ Calendar supplied and maintained by Google. See the full travel profile for emergency numbers, electrical standards and more.
Statutory public holidays mandated by national government law in United Arab Emirates. These fixed dates reflect official non-working days. For dynamic, movable religious observances (e.g., Eid, Easter), refer to the live calendar embed above.
| Holiday Name | Date / Observance | Category / Type | Closure Impact | Official Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commemoration Day (Martyrs' Day) Honours Emirati martyrs who sacrificed their lives in civil and military service. | November 30 | National Observance | Full Federal & Corporate Closure | u.ae → |
| UAE National Day Commemorates the formal unification of the seven Emirates in 1971. | December 2 | National Day | Full Public & Private Sector Closure (Multi-day Statutory Holiday) | u.ae → |
Statutory holidays landing on a Monday, Friday, Tuesday or Thursday create a long-weekend opportunity — here's what's coming up.
| Holiday | Date | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|
| Commemoration Day (Martyrs' Day) | Mon, Nov 30, 2026 | Automatic 3-day weekend |
Public holidays generally split into two kinds: fixed-date ones that land on the same calendar day every year — a founding or independence anniversary, for instance — and movable ones whose date shifts annually because they follow a different calendar system entirely. United Arab Emirates's calendar can include holidays governed by the Easter computus that many Christian-majority countries use, the Hijri lunar calendar behind Islamic observances such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, or a lunisolar cycle behind holidays like Lunar New Year. United Arab Emirates, like much of Asia, likely carries at least one holiday from each category on its calendar — one reason the list above shows a specific date per year instead of a single recurring one.
Under United Arab Emirates's labor law, fixed-date national public holidays carry mandatory non-working status for public administration, financial institutions, and commercial enterprises — 2 such holidays are documented for United Arab Emirates in the table above, all individually cross-checked against independent corroborating sources, including Commemoration Day (Martyrs' Day) on November 30. Official gazette announcements are published by government authorities to confirm these mandated closures.
It's also worth distinguishing a public holiday from an observance. A public holiday is a government-mandated day off — offices, banks and schools close. An observance marks something culturally or religiously significant without requiring anyone to close for it. This page tracks public holidays only, since those are the dates that actually change a day's schedule.
United Arab Emirates is also divided into states and provinces, and countries structured this way often layer a regional founding day, a local patron festival or a province-specific holiday on top of the national calendar — observed in one state but not nationwide. The calendar above covers United Arab Emirates's national holidays; see the United Arab Emirates states & provinces directory for population and government data on each one.
| 📊 Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| 👥 Population Rank | #86 of 249 |
| 📏 Area World Rank | #117 |
| 🏙️ Population Density | 132.3 / km² |