What’s On has news of public holidays in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE, including Ramadan 2015 dates, Eid dates and National Day.

More…
– Go on surfari
– E-gate details
– Day-trippin UAE
– Scuba in Oman

What’s On has updated its full list of expected public holidays in the UAE for 2015.

An announcement earlier this year by the UAE Government explained the process of formatting Islamic events. ‘The official reference to determine Islamic occasions, such as the beginning of Ramadan or Haj, is the Hijri Calendar. It is based on the phases of the moon. Hence, the exact dates of Islamic events vary from one Gregorian year to another as they depend on the local sightings of the moon.’

Therefore, while no official confirmation can be given, astronomers at the Sharjah Planetarium have forecasted the following Islamic occasions for 2015:

Ramadan is expected to begin on or around June 18.
Eid Al Fitr will take place on or around July 17 (this holiday will last for two days for the private sector).
Hajj season will take place on or around September 14.
Arafat Day will take place on or around September 22.
Eid Al Adha will take place on or around September 23 (this public holiday will last for three days).
Hijri New Year’s Day will take place on or around October 15.
UAE National Day will be on December 2.

Earlier today, the Ministry of Labour announced that the private sector will get a two-day holiday for Eid Al Fitr.

If Eid Al Fitr falls on Friday July 17, private sector employees will not have a longer weekend to look forward to, as the paid holiday will be Friday July 17 and Saturday July 18 – a standard weekend in the UAE.

However, if Eid falls on Thursday July 16, the private sector will have a three-day holiday: Thursday July 16, Friday July 17, and Saturday July 18.

Meanwhile, the public sector in the UAE will most likely have a three-day weekend regardless.

All dates for Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr, Hajj, Arafat Day, Eid Al Adha and Hijri New Year holiday dates are officially determined by the sightings of the moon (excluding National Day).