These are the official dates of public holidays for the UAE for the coming year, as well as notable dates, so you can make a note in your diary now and plan ahead. Actual days off work for both the public and private sector should vary less than in the past and these are the dates announced by the Government so far.

This article was edited in September 2019 following an announcement by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR).

Note that dates of holidays are subject to change, especially Islamic holidays, so I will update this as the year goes on and amend as required.

A number of the days fall on a Saturday this year, a day off for many, so we will have to wait and see if these are moved to the Sunday.

The intention behind the changes is to bring the private and public sectors more into line and provide more balance.

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