Holiday Shifted to End of Week for Three-Day Break
The UAE has announced Friday, August 28, 2026 as an official holiday for public and private sector employees to mark the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), also known as Mawlid Al Nabawi. The occasion coincides with 12 Rabi Al Awwal on the Hijri calendar. It had earlier been expected that the holy day would fall on Tuesday, August 25, with a possibility of the holiday being moved to Monday, August 24, to create a three-day weekend. Instead, authorities shifted the observed holiday to the end of the week, meaning employees who follow the standard Saturday-Sunday weekend will still enjoy a three-day break, running from Friday, August 28, through Sunday, August 30, before returning to work on Monday, August 31. Public sector employees in Sharjah, who already have Fridays off as part of their regular weekend, are largely unaffected by the shift.
The long weekend falls during the final week of the school summer break, with the 2026-27 academic year set to begin on August 31, giving families one last extended break before term starts.
How the UAE's Transferable Holiday Law Works
The shift is possible under a law that took effect at the start of 2025, allowing certain public holidays that fall midweek to be transferred to the beginning or end of the working week, with the exception of Eid holidays. The UAE Cabinet holds the authority to make these transfers, aiming to give residents longer, continuous breaks rather than a single midweek day off.
Because the Hijri calendar is based on lunar sightings, the exact Gregorian date of Islamic occasions such as Mawlid Al Nabawi is confirmed only close to the event itself. On the 29th of every Hijri month, the UAE's moon sighting committee convenes to observe the crescent moon and declare the start of the next month, which is why the final holiday date is typically announced days rather than weeks in advance.
