When the New Year comes around, checking the upcoming public holidays is always one of our first Google searches of the year! We don’t know about you, but paid time off is a precious thing that can usually be maximized with some strategic planning. 2025 is no exception, with perhaps some of the best options for time off that we’ve seen in recent years.
The current outlook is showing at least 12 public holidays in the UAE this year, with a potential 13th if Ramadan ends up being a 30-day month (which happened in 2024). Of course, we won’t know this until much closer to the time due to these holidays being based on moon sightings, but it’s never too early to start planning your next trip.
2025 Public Holidays
| 1 January | Wednesday | New Year’s Day |
| 31 March – 2 April | Monday-Wednesday | Eid al-Fitr |
| 30 May – 2 June | Friday-Monday | Eid al-Adha |
| 27 June | Friday | Islamic New Year |
| 1 September | Monday | Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday |
| 2-3 December | Tuesday-Wednesday | National Day |
Great, but what does that mean when it comes to planning holidays for the year ahead? Let’s pop these dates into a calendar to make it easier to visualize! Below, we have added some suggestions in green squares for when it is best to take some annual leave.
The predicted Eid al-Fitr public holidays shown above are particularly generous this year. We would highly recommend taking Friday 4th April off, as you will get one full week of time off work with only having to use one day of annual leave – that’s a win in our books!
At the end of May and the beginning of June, you could take advantage of the Eid al-Adha long weekend to take some annual leave. With only 8 days of annual leave, you could fit in a whopping 16-day trip (including weekends)!
Also, make use of Islamic New Year in June and Prophet Muhammad’s birthday in September to enjoy a week-long rest for only 4 days of annual leave, or simply enjoy a nice 3-day weekend and stay local to Dubai (check out some of our suggestions for trips from Dubai in our Travel section).
Finally, in December, if you take 3 days of annual leave around National Day, you will also get a full week off. You could also consider just taking Monday 1st December off for a nice 5-day weekend, the choice is yours.
2025 is full of great opportunities to maximize your annual leave allowance to squeeze in as much time off and travel as you like!
Book With Caution
Of course, given the religious nature of some of these holidays, they are subject to change, so book any time off or vacation with caution. We’ll be sure to keep this page up to date as the holidays approach so that you can enjoy your time off without any worries. For now, we’re off to book some trips and plan a 2025 full of adventure!
