Mark these dates in your diary…

Is “travel more” one of your New Year’s resolutions?

Well, planning your long weekend getaways for the year ahead just got easier, as we have a guide to the full list of UAE public holidays for 2019.

Remember, Islamic holidays are based on the phases of the moon, so exact dates may vary – we’ll keep you updated closer to the time when the official holiday is announced.

January 1: New Year’s Day

Like many countries, New Year’s Day is a public holiday in the UAE, and one of three secular holidays observed in the country. This year, it falls on a Tuesday, so it won’t be a long weekend.

June 3 or 4 (dependent on moon) – Eid Al Fitr

Eid Al Fitr roughly means ‘breaking of the fast’ and is the holiday marking the end of Ramadan. It’s dependent on the sighting of the moon, and automatically begins after the end of Ramadan. We won’t know until closer to the time whether this will fall on Monday June 3 or Tuesday June 4.

August 10 (dependent on moon) – Arafat Day

This holiday marks the second day of the yearly pilgrimage to Haj, and will likely mean a day off. It falls on a Saturday in 2019.

August 11 (dependent on moon) – Eid Al Adha

Honouring Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, we typically get three days off for this holiday – so combined with Arafat Day, we’ll likely get Sunday through Tuesday off. This means it could be a five-day weekend in August.

August 31 (dependent on moon) – Hijri, Islamic New Year

Islamic New Year in 2019  is likely to fall on a Saturday – we get one day off for this holiday so we may not get a long weekend.

November 30 – Commemoration Day

Formerly referred to as Martyr’s Day, this holiday honours the Emiratis who have died while protecting their country. It falls on a Saturday in2 2019, which means it may be combined with National Day.

December 2 – UAE National Day

2019 will mark the UAE’s 48th birthday, celebrating the unification of the seven emirates in 1971. It falls on a Monday this year, and as we had a two-day holiday on Sunday and Monday for the occasion in 2018, it may be that it’s a four-day weekend again in 2019.

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