Here’s your chance to take a long break and turn the last UAE public holiday of 2025 into a nine-day escape
Eid Al Etihad is the final UAE public holiday of the year, and with a little planning, you can combine it with weekends and annual leave to enjoy an extended break. Whether you want to relax at home or travel, now is the perfect time to make the most of your remaining days off of 2025.
When is Eid Al Etihad 2025
The official dates haven’t been announced yet, but the holiday is expected to fall in the middle of the week. Private sector employees could potentially get Tuesday, December 2, and Wednesday, December 3, off. Combine this with the weekend before and after, and you already have a four-day break.
How to turn it into 9 days
You can extend your break by using annual leave on Thursday, December 4, and Friday, December 5.
Here’s how it works:
- Weekend before the holiday: Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30
- Public holiday: Tuesday, December 2 and Wednesday, December 3
- Annual leave: Monday, December 1, Thursday, December 4 and Friday, December 5
- Weekend after the holiday: Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7
This turns into a 9-day break with only using 3 days of annual leave. (You’re welcome!)
Planning ahead? Here are the predicted UAE public holiday dates for 2026:
- New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1
- Eid Al Fitr: Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 22
- Arafat Day: Tuesday, May 26
- Eid Al Adha: Wednesday, May 27 to Friday, May 29
- Islamic New Year: Monday, June 15 (official day to fall on Tuesday, June 16, holiday moved to start of the week)
- The Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (PBUH): Monday, August 24 (official day to fall on Tuesday, August 25 – holiday could possibly be moved to start of the week)
- National Day: Tuesday, December 1 and Wednesday, December 2
Also read: UAE public holidays 2026: Turn 10 days of leave into 36 days off
Image: Getty Images
> Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
