Public holidays barely close Dubai to tourists. The UAE has about a dozen holiday days a year, and the next is National Day on Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026. Malls, hotels, restaurants, beaches and attractions stay open, and banks, government offices and schools close. What changes for a visitor is crowds, hotel prices and booking. This guide lists the dates, what stays open, how each holiday feels, and how to plan a safari, a Burj Khalifa slot or a yacht around them.
By SB Excursions · Published 29 October 2026 · Updated 29 October 2026
Tour on this route: Full-Day Desert Safari in Dubai — From $45 per person, 7 hours.
How many public holidays does Dubai have?
About a dozen days a year: New Year's Day, Eid Al Fitr, Arafat Day, Eid Al Adha, the Islamic New Year, the Prophet's Birthday and National Day on 2 and 3 December. The Islamic holidays move about 10 days earlier each year, and the length of Eid depends on the moon sighting.
This guide also answers:
- When is National Day in Dubai?
- When is Eid Al Fitr in 2027?
Five things to book before a holiday
#1
Hotels and flights
Rates and seats climb around Eid, National Day and New Year, and the best rooms go first. Book early, read the cancellation terms, and avoid arriving or leaving on the first or last day of a long holiday weekend, when the airport and the roads to it are at their busiest.
#2
A timed Burj Khalifa slot
Entry is by timed slot, and sunset and other prime-time slots cost more than off-peak ones, so a holiday evening is the hardest slot to get. Our tickets are from $55 per person for Levels 124 and 125; we confirm your slot, and opening hours change during Ramadan.
#3
The desert, away from the queues
When the malls and Downtown are full, the dunes are the calm option, and the 4x4 collects you from your hotel in Dubai, Sharjah or Ajman. The full-day safari is from $45 per person, and there is no prepayment: you agree the date on WhatsApp and pay on the day. Send the date early.
#4
A Marina yacht hour
The waterfront is packed on holiday evenings, but the water is not. The shared yacht tour is from $32 per person, leaves hourly, and needs full prepayment, check-in 20 minutes before departure and a punctual arrival, because the yacht leaves strictly on time.
#5
Global Village in season
Season 31 opened on 14 October 2026, with tickets reported at AED 25 on weekdays and AED 30 on weekends. As of 29 October 2026, reports differ on hours, and one lists a 1 am close on public holidays. It will be very busy on holidays, so check the official site and go early.
Dubai public holidays: the short answer
Dubai has about a dozen public holiday days a year, and almost nothing a tourist wants closes on them. Malls, hotels, restaurants, beaches, theme parks and the Metro keep running. Banks, government offices, schools and many private offices close. The next holiday is National Day on Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026, according to the UAE Government's holiday list.
The effect on a visitor is mostly crowds and money: hotel rates rise, timed tickets sell out and the malls and roads are busy. Islamic holidays follow the lunar calendar and move about 10 days earlier each year, so a date from last year's guidebook is wrong. Our National Day guide covers the December dates in detail, and this page covers all of the year.
The holidays to plan around
Fixed dates are easy; the Islamic ones are announced shortly before and depend on the moon sighting. The UAE Cabinet can also move some holidays (not Eid) to the start or end of the week, so treat any date as provisional until it is confirmed by the UAE Government.
| Holiday | Next date | Length | What a visitor notices |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026 | 2 days | Flags, evening celebrations, full hotels and busy malls in peak season |
| Commemoration Day | 30 November | Sources disagree whether it is a day off | Usually little visible change; check before you plan around it |
| New Year's Day | 1 January | 1 day | Peak hotel prices, New Year's Eve crowds, a quiet morning after |
| Ramadan (not a public holiday) | Expected from Monday 8 February 2027 | 29 or 30 days | Opening hours and daytime dining change; see the Ramadan guide |
| Eid Al Fitr | Expected 9 or 10 March 2027 | Usually 3 to 4 days | Family crowds at malls, parks and beaches; some shops close on day one |
| Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha | Eid likely 16 or 17 May 2027; Arafat Day the day before | Usually 3 to 4 days | Hot weather, busy malls and roads, long weekends for residents |
| Islamic New Year and the Prophet's Birthday | Later in 2027, announced shortly before | 1 day each | Quiet one-day closures of offices; attractions open |
Dates for Islamic holidays are expected dates, subject to the official moon sighting and the UAE Government announcement.
Ramadan is not a public holiday, but it changes the day more than any of them. Our Ramadan 2027 dates guide and the general Ramadan guide explain what shifts, and the Dubai weekend and opening hours guide covers the normal week.
What stays open and what closes
A public holiday is a day off for workers, not for tourism. The rule of thumb is that anything built for visitors stays open and anything built for paperwork closes.
| Open as normal | Closed or reduced | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Malls, restaurants and cafes, often with longer hours | Government offices, courts and schools | Burj Khalifa and other timed-ticket venues (hours can change) |
| Hotels, the airport, taxis and ride-hailing | Banks (ATMs and mall exchange counters still work) | Metro, tram and bus timetables (RTA publishes holiday hours) |
| Beaches, parks, theme parks and the Fountain | Embassies, consulates and many private offices | Small shops and the souks on the first morning of Eid |
| Hospitals, clinics and 24-hour pharmacies | Some small shops, especially on the morning of Eid | Government service centres, if you have visa paperwork |
Venue hours are decided by each operator. Check the official website or app for the exact day.
If you need a bank, a visa service or a document stamped, do it before the holiday. Anything online or at an airport desk runs as usual, and the final word on visas is the ICP and GDRFA.
How each holiday feels
The holidays are not alike, and the difference matters more than the date.
- Eid Al Fitr ends Ramadan. Mornings are quiet, families dress up and gather, and malls, parks and beaches fill from the afternoon. Expect celebrations at some venues, announced close to the date.
- Eid Al Adha is a family holiday in hot weather, so the busiest places are the indoor ones. Plan the outdoors for early morning or evening.
- National Day is a festive two days in peak season, with flags on buildings and cars and celebrations in the evening. It falls just before the Shopping Festival (from 4 December) and in the week of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which makes the whole stretch busy (see the Shopping Festival guide).
- New Year's Day follows the biggest night of the year. Check the New Year's Eve guide for the fireworks and the crowds, and expect a slow, quiet morning on 1 January.
Prices, queues and booking
Holidays are when hotels, flights and timed tickets cost most. December and January are already peak season, so a holiday on top of it is the most expensive time of the year: book hotels and the Burj Khalifa early, and expect restaurants to be full without a reservation. Our month-by-month guide and December guide show where the peak sits.
The tourism dirham fee is added to hotel bills whatever the date, and is explained in the tourism dirham fee guide. If your dates are flexible, a weekday outside the holiday week is cheaper and quieter for hotels, restaurants and tours.
Transport, parking and money
The Metro, tram and taxis run on public holidays, and the RTA often publishes special timetables for Eid and New Year, so check the S'hail app the day before. Roads are quiet in the morning and tight in the evening around the malls, the Fountain and Global Village, so leave early or use the Metro. Our guide to getting around Dubai has the details.
Paid street parking is usually free on public holidays and Sundays, with exceptions such as multi-storey car parks, so read the signs. Withdraw any cash you need before the holiday, because bank branches are shut, although ATMs and exchange counters in malls keep working.
Weekends, Fridays and school breaks
A public holiday is not the only reason Dubai is busy. The weekend is Saturday and Sunday for most people, Friday is a short working day for government offices, and the Friday midday prayer quietens some streets around lunchtime. Residents' school breaks, especially around New Year and in the summer, fill the beaches, malls and family attractions in the same way a holiday does.
In practice, treat a holiday like a busy Saturday that lasts two to four days. Mornings are easy, afternoons fill, and evenings around Downtown, Global Village and the Marina waterfront are the slowest to move through. Go to the big sights at opening time, eat early or book a table, and keep the evening for something on the water or in the desert, where crowds do not reach.
Using a holiday well, and our tours
The best trick is to put the crowded things on the quiet days and the quiet things on the crowded ones. On the holiday itself, go to the desert. Our full-day desert safari is 7 hours, from $45 per person or $65 with a 30-minute quad bike ride, with hotel pickup in Dubai, Sharjah or Ajman and no prepayment. During Ramadan, entertainment and alcohol service may be limited, and we say so when we confirm.
For a timed ticket, book early and check the slot. A Burj Khalifa ticket needs full prepayment, and cannot be refunded or changed once issued, so confirm the date and time first. The shared yacht tour is from $32 per person and also needs full prepayment. Holiday dates are popular, so send the date on WhatsApp early and we confirm availability.
FAQ
How many public holidays does Dubai have?
About a dozen days a year: New Year's Day, Eid Al Fitr, Arafat Day, Eid Al Adha, the Islamic New Year, the Prophet's Birthday and National Day on 2 and 3 December. The Islamic holidays move about 10 days earlier each year, and the length of Eid depends on the moon sighting.
Is Dubai open on public holidays?
For visitors, yes. Malls, hotels, restaurants, beaches, theme parks, the Metro and taxis keep running. Banks, government offices and schools close, and some small shops close on the morning of Eid. Check each attraction's own website for the exact hours.
When is National Day in Dubai?
Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026, according to the UAE Government's holiday list. The Cabinet can move some holidays to the start or end of the week, and no change had been announced as of 28 October, so check the official announcement.
Are attractions and tours open during Eid?
Most attractions are open, sometimes with changed hours, and they are busy. Opening hours can change during Ramadan, and we confirm your slot against the current timetable. Send us your date early on WhatsApp and we confirm what is available.
Does the Dubai Metro run on public holidays?
Yes. The RTA often publishes special timetables for Eid and New Year, with longer hours at times, so check the S'hail app or the RTA website the day before you travel.
When is Eid Al Fitr in 2027?
Ramadan is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027, and Eid Al Fitr is expected on 9 or 10 March 2027, subject to the official moon sighting. The holiday usually runs 3 to 4 days. Dates are confirmed shortly before by the UAE Government.
Is a public holiday a bad time to visit Dubai?
Not bad, but busy and dearer. National Day, New Year and Eid mean fuller hotels, higher prices and queues at timed attractions. The fix is to book early, put crowded sights on the quiet days, and spend the holiday itself in the desert or on the water.
Recommended Dubai tours for this guide
Full-Day Desert Safari in Dubai
It is the slow-travel version of the classic safari: more time on the dunes, sunset without the crowds and a full evening programme at a premium camp with air-conditioned tents, unlimited drinks and a large BBQ buffet with vegetarian and gluten-free options. Everything is arranged from the hotel door — a licensed English-speaking driver, the 4x4, the camp and the shows.
- Duration
- 7 hours
- Area
- Lahbab Desert, Dubai
- Format
- Full-day desert safari
- Best for
- families, couples and first-time desert visitors who want the full evening programme
From $45 per person No prepayment
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Burj Khalifa Observation Deck
It is a ticket, not a guided tour: you pick the date and time slot, we book it and send the e-tickets on WhatsApp, and you make your own way to The Dubai Mall. Levels 124 and 125 suit most visitors; SKY adds Level 148 at 555 m with priority access, a multilingual host and refreshments. On request we also book Sky Views Observatory, The View at The Palm and Dubai Frame.
- Duration
- 1.5-2 hours
- Area
- Downtown Dubai
- Format
- Timed-entry ticket
- Best for
- first-time visitors, couples and families who want Dubai from the observation decks of the 828-metre Burj Khalifa
From $55 per person Full prepayment
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Dubai Marina Shared Yacht Tour
It is the most stylish way to see the skyline without paying for a private charter: a premium yacht with spacious decks and 5-star hospitality, a red carpet at the pier and the crew helping with photos against JBR and Ain Dubai. Full pre-payment secures your slot — the hourly departures sell out — and the yacht leaves strictly on time.
- Duration
- 1 hour
- Area
- Dubai Marina
- Format
- Shared 1-hour sightseeing cruise
- Best for
- families, couples and anyone who wants the Marina skyline from the water without a private charter
From $32 per person Full prepayment
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Photos: Global Village in season — Slayym, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).