Islamic New Year 2026: When Is the UAE's Next Public Holiday — and Will It Be a Long Weekend?
- Jun 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 4
The fireworks of Eid Al Adha have long since faded, the long weekend is a memory, and the city has slipped into that familiar early-summer rhythm — air-conditioning on full, beaches gloriously quiet by noon, and everyone quietly counting down to the next day off. If you have caught yourself squinting at the calendar this week wondering when that next break lands, you are in good company. It is the most-asked question in every Dubai office WhatsApp group right now.
The short answer: the UAE's next public holiday is Islamic New Year — also called Hijri New Year or Ras Al Sana — and it falls on Monday 15 June 2026, officially confirmed by the UAE government on 3 June for both public and private sector employees. It is a confirmed three-day long weekend: Saturday 13 to Monday 15 June. Here is everything you need to know and how to make the most of it.
When exactly is Islamic New Year 2026?
Islamic New Year marks 1 Muharram 1448 AH — the first day of the Islamic (Hijri) lunar calendar. For 2026, the date is officially confirmed: Monday 15 June 2026. The UAE government announced the date on 3 June 2026, with the Cabinet simultaneously applying the start-of-week transfer under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, creating a three-day long weekend. As Khaleej Times reports, it is the UAE's first public holiday after Eid Al Adha (observed 27–28 May 2026), and — like every public holiday in the country since the calendars were unified in 2019 — it applies to both the public and private sector as a one-day break.
Will it actually be a long weekend?
This is the part everyone really wants to know. Under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, non-Eid public holidays can be moved to the start or the end of the week to create longer breaks — and several published 2026 calendars, including Gulf News, confirmed that the holiday is observed on Monday 15 June, giving a confirmed three-day long weekend from Saturday 13 to Monday 15 June. The announcement came on 3 June — earlier than usual, removing all uncertainty. The long weekend status is official — no asterisks needed. For the official record, see the official UAE Government public-holidays page.
The announcement has landed: Monday 15 June 2026 is confirmed for both public and private sector employees — and it is a three-day long weekend. If you were waiting to book, now is the time. Keep it short-haul and semi-flexible given how close the date is, but the date-uncertainty risk is gone.
Why the date can move — the moon-sighting bit
If you have ever wondered why UAE holiday dates are announced so late, this is why. Islamic months run 29 or 30 days, and a new month only begins when the crescent moon is sighted. The UAE's moon-sighting committee convenes on the 29th of the preceding Hijri month — and this year the determination came on 3 June, more than a week before the holiday. The committee confirmed 1 Muharram as Monday 15 June, with the Cabinet simultaneously applying the start-of-week transfer to create the three-day weekend. 2026 was an unusually early and clear confirmation.
What this holiday actually feels like in Dubai
Set your expectations correctly: unlike Eid, Islamic New Year is a quiet, reflective occasion rather than a festival. There are no city-wide fireworks, no big public celebrations and no special programming to plan around. What you get instead is a clean bonus day off in the middle of June. Malls, restaurants, beaches and attractions all run as normal — so this is less about 'what's on' and more about how you choose to use the time. As Time Out Dubai notes, it tends to be one of the calmest days off of the year, which — in peak summer — is rather the point.
How Dubai residents are planning the day off
Because it lands on Monday 15 June — a confirmed three-day long weekend from Saturday 13 to Monday 15 June — the plans I am hearing from readers and friends split neatly into a few camps:
The short-haul escapers — a quick getaway to Oman's Musandam, Ras Al Khaimah's mountains or a Hatta lodge — the date is confirmed, so book with confidence. Far enough to feel like a real break, close enough for a hassle-free turnaround.
The staycationers — a city hotel with a pool and a late checkout — summer staycation rates in June are some of the best of the year, and you skip the airport entirely.
The beach-and-brunch crowd — an early beach morning before the heat, then a long lunch indoors — the classic Dubai long-weekend rhythm.
The indoor-summer families — ski slopes, aquariums, indoor theme parks and cinemas — the obvious move when it is 42°C outside and you have kids to entertain.
What comes after — the rest of the 2026 calendar
Once Islamic New Year passes, the next public holiday on the horizon is Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (Mawlid), expected around Tuesday 25 August 2026 (and a candidate for the same start-of-week shift), followed by National Day on 2–3 December. For the full year mapped out — every confirmed and expected day off, with the long weekends called out — I keep a running guide to UAE public holidays 2026 and the long weekends. If you are still in Eid mode, my notes on the Eid Al Adha 2026 transport and parking arrangements round out the early-summer picture, and the official start of Dubai summer on 21 June explains why this particular long weekend falls right as the heat peaks.
How I'd plan around it
Three practical moves now that Monday 15 June is confirmed. First, the window is locked: Saturday 13 to Monday 15 June, work resumes Tuesday 16 June. Second, go short-haul — a Hatta lodge or a Ras Al Khaimah resort is ideal for a three-day window. Third, lock a staycation now — there are less than two weeks to go and the best summer hotel rates and pool suites go first. For ideas and what is open over the break, Visit Dubai is a solid starting point. The date is confirmed — go book.
— Angel Tyagi, Creator of Angel In Dubai
This is a general planning guide. Islamic New Year 2026 falls on Monday 15 June — officially confirmed by the UAE government on 3 June 2026 for both public and private sector employees as a three-day long weekend (Saturday 13–Monday 15 June). Future Hijri-calendar holidays remain subject to official moon sighting and government announcement. Details accurate as of 4 June 2026, as reported by Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Time Out Dubai, and the official UAE Government public-holidays page. Not sponsored.
Photo credits: Dubai skyline by Nejc Soklič, crescent moon by Matt Drenth, Dubai beach by Mubaris Nendukanni — all via Unsplash (Unsplash License). Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, by Manish Tulaskar via Unsplash (Unsplash License). Aerial view of Dubai by Nino Verde via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Last updated: 4 June 2026 — Islamic New Year officially confirmed as Monday 15 June 2026 by the UAE government (announced 3 June); all date-uncertainty language updated to reflect the confirmed three-day long weekend for public and private sector.
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