A public holiday and a school closure are not always the same days. This page has both.
Six public holidays fall within the UAE 2026–27 school year: Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (28 August 2026), Eid Al Etihad (2–4 December 2026), New Year’s Day (1 January 2027), Eid Al Fitr (9–12 March 2027), Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha (15–18 May 2027) and Hijri New Year (6 June 2027). Three of them are Islamic dates confirmed by moon sighting shortly beforehand and can move by a day. Where a school closure runs longer than the public holiday itself, the closure dates are the ones given here.
| Month | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 |
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| August 2026 | |||||
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| October 2026 | |||||
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| December 2026 | |||||
| January 2027 | |||||
| February 2027 | |||||
| March 2027 | |||||
| April 2027 | |||||
| May 2027 | |||||
| June 2027 | |||||
| July 2027 |
All emirates (UAE Ministry of Education (MOE) unified calendar). Public schools nationwide, and the baseline that private schools in all seven emirates build from. Private schools may vary start dates, half terms and the length of breaks within the 185-day minimum. The national calendar is the frame, not the contract.
All curricula. The national three-term frame, with no curriculum examinations drawn over it. Pick a curriculum to add its assessment windows, which are the dates most likely to override the local calendar.
Read the Dubai page for the local rules in full.
Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.
They are badged Expected in the calendar and carry [expected] in the downloaded file, so a shifted date never lands silently in someone’s diary. What Ramadan does to the school day.
| What | Dates | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Staff return | 24 August 2026 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around. |
| Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday | 28 August 2026 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Falls on the Friday before students return. No school day lost. |
| Term 1 begins | 31 August 2026 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around. |
| Autumn half term | 12–16 October 20269 days away | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Private schools outside Sharjah may split this break into two shorter ones, to a five-day maximum. This is the single most variable week in the year. |
| Eid Al Etihad (UAE National Day) | 2–4 December 2026 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.The government public holiday is Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December. The MOE school calendar closes Wednesday to Friday, 2–4 December, which is what makes Term 1 total 67 days. Both statements are true; they are different things. |
| Term 1 ends | 11 December 2026 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around. |
| Winter break | 14–31 December 202623 days away | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Students return Monday 4 January 2027. Public-school staff return earlier, typically after a shorter break from 21 December. |
| What | Dates | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 January 2027 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Falls inside the winter break. |
| Term 2 begins | 4 January 2027 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around. |
| Eid Al Fitr break | 8–12 March 20279 days away | Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.The school break is 8–12 March (5 school days), which is what makes Term 2 total exactly 60 days. The public holiday itself is expected 9–12 March. Moon-sighting dependent: the whole block can shift by a day or two. |
| Eid Al Fitr | 9–12 March 2027 | Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Moon-sighting dependent. |
| Term 2 ends | 2 April 2027 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around. |
| Spring break | 5–9 April 20279 days away | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Sharjah schools list 5–8 April, a day shorter on paper. |
| What | Dates | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Term 3 begins | 12 April 2027 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around. |
| Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha | 15–18 May 2027 | Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Moon-sighting dependent. The first two days fall on a weekend. |
| Eid Al Adha break | 17–18 May 20274 days away | Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Arafah Day plus Eid Al Adha. Moon-sighting dependent. |
| Hijri New Year | 6 June 2027 | Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Falls on a Sunday. No school day lost. |
| Term 3 ends | 2 July 2027 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around. |
| Summer break | 5 July – 27 August 202758 days away | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.2027–28 begins Monday 30 August 2027. |
Last verified . Islamic dates move with the moon sighting, so the badges say how firm each one is.
A public holiday is a national day off. A school closure is what your school actually does with it, and the two differ often enough to be worth stating separately – a holiday that falls on a Friday or Saturday can be moved, and a school can close either side of one.
The dates below are the school closures. Where the two differ, the calendar draws the closure, because that is the day nobody is in school.
Islamic holidays are confirmed by moon sighting a day or two beforehand. That is not vagueness on our part – it is how the dates are set, and a calendar that prints them as certainties is the one that will be wrong.
| Holiday | Schools closed | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday | 28 August 2026 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Falls on the Friday before students return. No school day lost. |
| Eid Al Etihad | 2–4 December 2026 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.The government public holiday is Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December. The MOE school calendar closes Wednesday to Friday, 2–4 December, which is what makes Term 1 total 67 days. Both statements are true; they are different things. |
| New Year’s Day | 1 January 2027 | Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Falls inside the winter break. |
| Eid Al Fitr | 9–12 March 2027 | Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Moon-sighting dependent. |
| Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha | 15–18 May 2027 | Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Moon-sighting dependent. The first two days fall on a weekend. |
| Hijri New Year | 6 June 2027 | Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Falls on a Sunday. No school day lost. |
Six fall inside the school year: Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday, Eid Al Etihad, New Year’s Day, Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha and Hijri New Year. Summer holidays that fall outside term time are not counted here.
Schools are closed 28 August 2026. Falls on the Friday before students return. No school day lost.
Schools are closed 2–4 December 2026. The government public holiday is Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December. The MOE school calendar closes Wednesday to Friday, 2–4 December, which is what makes Term 1 total 67 days. Both statements are true; they are different things.
Schools are closed 1 January 2027. Falls inside the winter break.
Schools are closed 9–12 March 2027. This date is confirmed by moon sighting shortly beforehand and can move by a day. Moon-sighting dependent.
Yes for the national holidays – those are set nationally and every school follows them. What varies is the days either side: a school may add a day to make a longer weekend, or run an inset day when the holiday leaves an awkward single day of teaching.
