The UAE Cabinet has announced national holidays for the public and private sectors for 2024.
The first public holiday of 2024 will be New Year’s Day, followed by Eid Al Fitr, the festival that marks the end of Ramadan. Some of the holidays are based on the Hijri Islamic calendar, and their Gregorian dates will depend on the moon sighting.
The UAE Cabinet has announced the national holidays for both the public and private sectors for 2024. The holidays apply to both public and private sector employees. The Cabinet’s new resolution aims to improve work organization in both the public and private sectors, allowing all UAE residents to better plan their vacations, travel arrangements, and personal activities. This will have a positive impact on the national economy at all levels.
These holidays are in addition to the 30 annual leaves employees can take in a year. Multiple travel surveys conducted over the past few months have revealed that the majority of expatriates in the UAE use their annual leaves to travel to their home countries. They earmark public holidays and the extended weekends that come with them for vacations around the world or staycations.
What are the UAE’s public holidays?
It means these holidays will fall within a two-to-three-day window. Eid Al Fitr could fall between Monday, April 8, and Thursday, April 11, and Arafat Day could fall on Saturday, June 15, 2024. Eid Al Adha could fall on Sunday, June 16, with the holiday between Monday, June 17, and Tuesday, June 18. Meanwhile, the Islamic New Year could fall on Sunday, June 7, 2024. Prophet Mohammed’s birthday could also fall on Sunday, September 15. Meanwhile, the next public holiday for this year will be National Day, which falls on December 2 and 3. Four of the seven official occasions will translate into extended weekends, with the longest being a six-day break.
Holidays for 2024
- January 1: New Year’s Day
- Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3, 1445 AH: Eid Al Fitr
- Dhu Al-Hijjah 9, 1445 AH: Arafat Day
- Dhu Al-Hijjah 10 to 12, 1445 AH: Eid Al Adha
- Muharram 1, 1446 AH: Islamic New Year
- Rabi’ Al-Awwal 12, 1446 AH: Prophet Mohammed’s birthday
- December 2 to 3: National Day
