Free Parking and Longer Metro Hours: Your Dubai Eid Al Adha 2026 Transport Guide

There's a particular kind of magic to Dubai on an Eid morning: Sheikh Zayed Road hushed and half-empty, the malls still asleep, and a long golden weekend stretching out ahead of you.

Eid Al Adha 2026 hands us one of the best breaks of the year — and Dubai's RTA has just made getting around it cheaper and easier. Think free public parking, the Metro and Tram running well past midnight, and a couple of route tweaks worth knowing before you head out. I've pulled the essentials into one no-stress cheat-sheet, straight from the official announcement, so you can spend less time decoding timetables and more time at brunch, on the beach, or at the family table.

However you're moving this Eid — Metro or motor — Dubai's made it a little easier.

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First, the dates: when is Eid Al Adha 2026?

The long weekend lines up like this, based on the official UAE announcement (dates follow the moon sighting):

• Arafat Day: Tuesday 26 May 2026

• Eid Al Adha: Wednesday 27 – Friday 29 May 2026

• Public-sector holiday: Monday 25 – Friday 29 May — with the weekends either side, up to nine days off in a row

• Private sector (MOHRE): Tuesday 26 – Friday 29 May, four paid days

• Schools: reopen Monday 1 June 2026

Want the full breakdown? I've mapped the whole stretch in my Eid Al Adha 2026 dates guide, and the year's other days off in the UAE public holidays 2026 calendar.

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Free public parking: 25 to 29 May

Free street parking across Dubai from 25–29 May — multi-storey car parks are the exception.

Here's the headline most drivers care about: public parking is free across Dubai from Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May 2026. That covers the standard paid street zones — the ones you'd normally feed through the app or the meter. The exception is multi-storey car parks, which keep charging as usual, so budget for those if you're mall-hopping. Paid parking resumes on the first working day after the holiday, so check the Parkin or RTA Dubai app before you assume a spot is still on the house.

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Dubai Metro: the Eid timetable

The Metro runs till 1am over Eid — perfect for late dinners and evening plans.

The Metro is your best friend over a busy holiday — no parking hunt, no Salik, and it runs late. Across both lines:

• Red & Green Lines: Monday to Saturday, 5:00am – 1:00am (the following day)

• Sunday: 8:00am – 1:00am

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Dubai Tram hours

The Dubai Tram keeps Marina and JBR connected late into the night.

If you're staying around Dubai Marina, JBR or Al Sufouh, the Tram has you covered:

• Monday to Saturday: 6:00am – 1:00am

• Sunday: 9:00am – 1:00am

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Buses, taxis and the Abu Dhabi run

Most bus routes run on the holiday timetable, with one change worth flagging: route E100 to Abu Dhabi will not operate from Al Ghubaiba Bus Station between 23 and 31 May. If you're heading to the capital, take route E101 from Ibn Battuta Bus Station instead. For everything else, the S'hail app has live, route-by-route timings — the single most useful thing to have on your phone this week. Taxis and ride-hailing run normally but get busy around evening prayers and dinner, so book ahead if you've got a reservation.

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What's open, what's closed

A few RTA services shift over the break:

• RTA Customer Happiness Centres: closed for the holiday

• Open 24/7: the Umm Ramool centre plus smart kiosks in Deira, Al Barsha, Al Tawar, Al Kifaf and RTA Headquarters

• Vehicle testing (Service Provider Centres): closed Tuesday 26 – Friday 29 May

• Salik tolls and nol top-ups: as normal, via the apps

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Free parking, trains running till 1am, and a five-day weekend — Eid is the one stretch of the year when Dubai slows down just enough to enjoy it.

Quick picks: your Eid transport cheat-sheet

• Free street parking: 25–29 May (multi-storey still paid)

• Metro: 5am–1am daily, Sundays from 8am

• Tram: 6am–1am daily, Sundays from 9am

• Abu Dhabi by bus: take E101 from Ibn Battuta (E100 from Al Ghubaiba paused)

• Live updates: the S'hail and RTA Dubai apps

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Beyond Dubai: free parking in Sharjah and Ajman too

It's not just Dubai waiving fees this Eid. Sharjah announced three days of free public parking — Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 May 2026 — across most of the emirate. Ajman similarly waived parking charges for the holiday days. The specifics:

• Sharjah: Free parking 27–29 May. Important: zones marked by blue information boards (paid 7 days/week) and smart parking lots in tourist areas are EXCLUDED from the free-parking order — look for the blue signs.

• Ajman: Free parking across the emirate for the Eid public holiday days.

• Abu Dhabi: Free public parking also confirmed for the Eid holiday period.

So across Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Abu Dhabi, most public parking is free for at least the core three days of Eid (27–29 May). Four emirates, one Eid, zero parking fees — that's a rare UAE-wide gift.

Last updated: 26 May 2026 — expanded with Sharjah, Ajman and Abu Dhabi parking details, sourced from Khaleej Times and Gulf News.

However you're getting around this Eid, plan the fun bits too: here's my roundup of the best Eid Al Adha deals, dining and staycations, and a hit-list of the best family days out in Dubai. Eid Mubarak from me — drive safe, ride late, and enjoy every minute of the long weekend.

All timings above are as announced by Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) for Eid Al Adha 2026 and are correct as of 25 May 2026; public-holiday dates follow the official UAE moon sighting. Service hours can change at short notice, so confirm live times on the S'hail and RTA Dubai apps before you set off. Source: RTA via Gulf News.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Dubai Metro at sunset by Jahak (CC BY-SA 3.0); Metro alongside Sheikh Zayed Road by Stefan Wisselink (CC BY 2.0); Metro platform by Ravi Dwivedi (CC BY-SA 4.0); Dubai Tram by Emcc83 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Sheikh Zayed Road by Vincent Eisfeld (CC BY-SA 4.0).