UAE Eid Al Fitr 2026: Why you get a 4-day weekend whether Ramadan is 29 or 30 days
UAE residents can confidently mark four days off in March, as the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has officially confirmed the Eid Al Fitr 2026 holiday dates for the private sector. A minimum four-day break is guaranteed, regardless of when the crescent moon is sighted.
When are the Eid Al Fitr 2026 holidays in the UAE?
For private sector employees, the Eid Al Fitr public holiday will run from Thursday, March 19 through Saturday, March 21, 2026. If Ramadan lasts the full 30 days, a possibility determined by the moon sighting, the holiday will be extended by one additional day to Sunday, March 22, 2026, giving workers a four-day long weekend either way.
For Federal government employees the holiday will begin from Thursday, March 19 and last until Sunday, March 22. Official working hours for government entities will resume on Monday, March 23.
In the Islamic Hijri calendar, Ramadan is the ninth month and lasts either 29 or 30 days, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. The month that follows, Shawwal, begins on Eid Al Fitr, celebrated on the first day of Shawwal.
Will Eid holidays shift if they fall on a weekend?
Under the UAE Cabinet resolution governing public holidays, the Cabinet holds the authority to move most public holidays to either the start or the end of a working week.
However, there is an important exception - Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha holidays cannot be moved. This means that even if Eid falls on a Friday or Saturday, the dedicated public holiday days remain fixed as announced.
When is the moon sighting for Eid Al Fitr 2026?
The UAE's official Moon-Sighting Committee will scan the skies on the 29th day of Ramadan, which falls on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The outcome determines exactly when Eid begins but not necessarily how many days off you receive this year:
If the crescent is spotted on the evening of March 18, Eid Al Fitr begins on Thursday, March 19, with the public holiday running through Saturday, March 21. Sunday, March 22, rounds out the break as a regular weekend day - four days in total.
If the moon is not spotted, Ramadan runs its full 30 days, and a rule from the UAE’s Cabinet resolution kicks in - day 30 of Ramadan (Thursday, March 19) is automatically added as an official holiday, and Eid Al Fitr falls on Friday, March 20. The break still spans March 19 through 22 - four consecutive days either way.
Bottom line: UAE residents on a Saturday and Sunday weekend are confirmed to receive at least four consecutive days off for Eid Al Fitr 2026, no matter when the moon is sighted.
Take annual leave from Monday, March 16 to Wednesday, March 19. You will also have the prior weekend off on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15.
The result - a continuous holiday running from Saturday, March 14 all the way through Sunday, March 22, returning to work on Monday, March 23. That's nine days off using just three or four days of annual leave.
