When is Ramadan 2026–27 in the UAE?
Ramadan is expected to run from 8 February 2027 to 7 March 2027. Some sources give 7 February. Schools remain open on shortened days: earlier dismissal, reduced after-school activities, adjusted PE.
Ramadan and the UAE school day, 2026–27
Schools do not close for Ramadan. They shorten the day, and almost everything else about the term carries on – which is the part worth planning for.
- 185school daysAll emirates · All curricula
- 9 weekslongest unbroken teaching stretch4 January – 5 March 2027
- 54days away, summer not countedTerm-time breaks, weekends included.
- 6dates awaiting a moon sightingEid Al Fitr break, Eid Al Adha break, Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year, Ramadan
In the UAE, Ramadan is expected to begin on 8 February 2027 and end on 7 March 2027 in the 2026–27 school year, though both dates are confirmed by moon sighting and can move by a day. Schools remain open throughout on shortened hours, typically five teaching hours or fewer with earlier dismissal; they do not close. Four teaching weeks fall inside the Ramadan window. The Eid Al Fitr break follows, expected around 8–12 March 2027.
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- Teaching week
- Short week – a day or more off
- Break
- Public holiday
- Outside the school year
- Ramadan – school open, day shortened
- Pressure point – the pastoral layer
The rules behind these dates
What your emirate and curriculum changeAll emirates · All curricula
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.
The six dates still awaiting a moon sighting6 dates
Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.
- Eid Al Fitr break – expected 8–12 March 2027
- Eid Al Adha break – expected 17–18 May 2027
- Eid Al Fitr – expected 9–12 March 2027
- Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha – expected 15–18 May 2027
- Hijri New Year – expected 6 June 2027
- Ramadan – expected 8 February – 7 March 2027
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.
Every date, as a table185 school days
| 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.
What this means in practice
The date moves. Ramadan follows the lunar calendar, so it is confirmed by moon sighting a day or two beforehand rather than months in advance, and it arrives about eleven days earlier each year. Every Ramadan date on this site is marked as expected for that reason.
Schools shorten the day rather than closing it. Timetables compress, dismissal moves earlier, and after-school activity is reduced or paused. Attendance usually holds up perfectly well.
What slips is concentration, and it slips in a pattern. The last lesson of a shortened day is the hardest one to teach, and sleep – not food – is usually what goes first for a fasting student.
What actually changes
- Shortened teaching day, typically five hours or fewer
- Earlier dismissal changes the whole family routine, not just the school one
- After-school clubs and fixtures reduced or paused
- PE and outdoor activity adjusted
- Fasting students of all ages, including some younger than the school expects
Questions people ask
Do UAE schools close during Ramadan?
No. Schools stay open for the whole of Ramadan and run a shortened day: an earlier dismissal, a compressed timetable, and reduced or paused after-school activities. The closure is at Eid Al Fitr, at the end of the month.
What are school hours during Ramadan in the UAE?
Typically five teaching hours or fewer, with dismissal moved earlier in the day. The exact hours are set school by school within the regulator’s guidance, so your school’s own letter is the one to go by.
When is the Eid Al Fitr break?
Expected around 8–12 March 2027, 9 days away from school including the weekend either side. The exact dates are confirmed by moon sighting, so treat them as firm to within a day.
Does Ramadan affect exams and assessments?
It can, and this is the one worth checking early. Assessment windows set outside the UAE – GCSE, A Level, IB Diploma, AP – do not move for Ramadan. Where a school controls the timing, moving an assessment out of the last hour of a shortened day is the single change that makes the most difference.
Where this sits in the year
Sources
- UAE Ministry of Education, three-year academic calendar announcement
- WhichSchoolAdvisor, Official UAE School Calendar 2026-27, 2027-28, 2028-29
- Gulf News, UAE public holidays 2027
- Gulf News, UAE school calendar 2026-27
- Emirates 24|7, remaining UAE public holidays 2026
- Khaleej Times, Dubai school calendar 2026-27