UAE residents can start planning their final long weekend of the year as the government officially announced the dates for the 54th UAE National Day holiday, also known as Eid Al Etihad.
In a move designed to maximise time off, the public and private sectors will be granted a four-day break thanks to a holiday shift earlier in the year.
The Official Holiday Dates
National Day, which celebrates the foundation of the UAE, traditionally falls on December 2. However, authorities have leveraged a new public holiday law to create an extended weekend:
- Official Paid Holidays: Monday, December 1, and Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
- The Long Weekend: When combined with the standard weekend of Saturday, November 29, and Sunday, November 30, residents will enjoy a full four-day break.
- Return to Work: Official working hours for both the public and private sectors will resume on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
Why the Days Were Shifted
Traditionally, the official days off for National Day were December 2 and December 3. With December 2 falling on a Tuesday this year, this old schedule would have resulted in two mid-week days off.
A new public law, introduced at the start of 2025, grants the Cabinet the flexibility to move non-religious holidays, like National Day, to the beginning or end of the week. This is done specifically to grant residents a more cohesive and meaningful long weekend.
Instead of granting the original December 2 and 3 off, the break was shifted backward to include Monday, December 1, giving residents a continuous block of four days off for the highly anticipated celebrations.
The announcement marks the final scheduled public holiday for 2025, allowing the nation to commemorate its unity and look ahead to 2026, which is already predicted to begin with a potentially longer holiday for New Year’s Day.
