Ah, public holidays—the lifeblood of every hard-working individual’s calendar. Whether you’re planning a quick getaway, a staycation, or just some quality couch time with Netflix and takeout, knowing when your precious days off are coming is essential. And folks, 2025 in the UAE is shaping up to be a pretty sweet year for long weekends and extended breaks.
The Big Picture: How Many Days Off Are We Getting?
Brace yourselves, because we’re looking at a solid 12 public holidays this year, with a bonus day if Ramadan decides to go full 30 days. That’s a lot of potential for long weekends, extended vacations, and those glorious “sick” days that suddenly seem to align perfectly with a public holiday. (Not that we’re suggesting anything, of course.)
Eid Al Fitr: The First Big Break of the Year
The first long holiday is Eid Al Fitr, which arrives after Ramadan wraps up. The expected dates? Sunday, March 30 to Tuesday, April 2. Translation: a three-day break, and if you play your cards right with annual leave, you could extend it into an even longer getaway.
Eid Al Adha & Arafat Day: The Summer Jackpot
If you thought Eid Al Fitr was generous, wait till Eid Al Adha and Arafat Day roll around. These holidays could gift us a four-day break, from Thursday, June 5 to Sunday, June 8. That’s practically a mini summer vacation, perfect for a beach retreat or a much-needed escape to cooler climates.
The Full Lineup: UAE Public Holidays 2025
Here’s your official cheat sheet:
- January 1 (Wednesday): New Year’s Day
- March 30 – April 2 (Sunday – Tuesday): Eid Al Fitr
- June 5 (Thursday): Arafat Day
- June 6 – 8 (Friday – Sunday): Eid Al Adha
- June 26 (Thursday): Islamic New Year
- September 5 (Friday): Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Birthday
- December 2 – 3 (Tuesday – Wednesday): UAE National Day
The Art of Strategic Leave Planning
Now, here’s where things get really interesting. With a bit of careful maneuvering, you can turn your standard 14 days of annual leave into a whopping 42 days off. How? By strategically combining your public holidays with paid leave to create epic long breaks. (Go ahead, start drafting that email to HR now.)
The New Public Holiday Rule: More Days Off? Yes, Please!
A fresh resolution from the UAE Cabinet means that if a public holiday falls on a weekend, the government can shift it to the start or end of the week. So, for example, if this rule had been around in 2024, we could have scored an extra day off for Islamic New Year since it landed on a weekend.
Now, before you get too excited, this doesn’t apply to Eid Al Fitr or Eid Al Adha, but for other holidays, this could mean extra time off without even touching your annual leave. We love to see it.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re plotting a dream trip, planning extra sleep-in days, or just looking forward to escaping your inbox, 2025 is serving up some seriously good public holiday opportunities. With a mix of long weekends and extended breaks, it’s the perfect year to master the art of work-life balance—or at least pretend to.
So, mark your calendars, set those leave requests in motion, and start planning your ultimate year of well-earned downtime!
