How many days will we get off for Eid Al Fitr 2021?

It’s time to get planning your long weekend…

At the end of 2020, under the direction of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the UAE Cabinet announced the public holidays for 2021 and 2022.

Within this document, it states that Eid Al Fitr will be the second public holiday of the year (but it will be the first for those who had Friday January 1 off as their normal weekend).

As the Islamic calendar is dependant on a moon sighting, we can’t guarantee the exact dates, only the number of days agreed by the UAE Cabinet. Both the private and public sector are now granted equal holiday days every year.

According to the list of official public holidays posted by UAE government, Eid Al Fitr will run from 29 Ramadan to 3 Shawwal.

Eid Al Fitr is predicted to fall on Tuesday May 11, so we would have Tuesday to Saturday May 15 off. If it falls on Wednesday May 12, Eid holidays will last until Saturday May 15. Either way, we will have a long weekend, but exactly how the days will fall remains to be seen.

So, what’s next after that?

#UAE announces holidays for public, private sector for 2021-2022.#UAE_BARQ_EN pic.twitter.com/vq7Aoy2RGQ

— UAE BARQ (@UAE_BARQ_EN) December 19, 2020

After Eid Al Fitr holidays, the next long weekend will be for Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha, expected to fall between July 19 and 22. However these dates all between Monday and Thursday, so we could have an extra-long six-day weekend on the cards.

Following that, there’s Hijri New Year, expected to fall on Tuesday August 10; October 21 will mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and then Commemoration Day and National Day on Wednesday December 1, Thursday 2, and Friday 3 for the UAE’s fiftieth anniversary celebrations.