Residents of the UAE often plan their annual leave well in advance to attend weddings or other celebrations at home. Many also plan their vacations to cooler climes a year in advance, especially considering the visa challenges faced by UAE travellers to popular destinations across Europe.

Residents often take public holidays and long weekends into account when planning personal events or summer vacations.

UAE residents will have just two more long weekends in 2023, one during the new Hijri year from Friday, July 21 to Sunday, July 23 and the other from Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 1. While the last holiday of the year is to mark the UAE National Day: December 2 and 3 (Saturday and Sunday).

9-day holiday in 2024

In the first half of 2024, residents who are planning a wedding or a long vacation will likely enjoy up to a 9-day break on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr.

According to astronomical calculations, Ramadan will begin on March 11, 2024, and will last 30 days. Therefore, Eid Al Fitr is expected on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

The UAE government has announced that public and private sector employees will receive Eid Al Fitr holidays from Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3. This means UAE employees will get a break from Monday, April 8, till Friday, April 12. By including two weekends, UAE employees will get a nine-day break from Saturday, April 6, till Sunday, April 14.

According to the Islamic Finder website, these expected dates are in line with those released by the Emirates Astronomy Society.

UAE Barq reported that Eid Al Adha will begin on Monday, June 17, 2024, citing Ibrahim Al Jarwan, chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Centre. If the Eid Al Adha falls on the announced date, then employees in the UAE will get a five-day break from Saturday, June 15, till Wednesday, June 19.

In contrast to the Gregorian calendar, the Islamic (or Hijri) calendar is based on moon sightings, so dates are subject to change.