The UAE has announced Friday, August 28, 2026 as a holiday for public and private sectors this year for the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
This makes it a three-day weekend for UAE employees who enjoy Saturday and Sunday as official days off every week. Public sector employees in Sharjah already get Fridays off as part of their usual weekends.
It was earlier expected that the holy day will be observed on August 25 this year, with a possibility of the public holiday being transferred to August 24 (Monday) to make it a three-day weekend for public and private sector employees.
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With this announcement, UAE employees will still get a three-day weekend, just a different one.
The long weekend also comes during the final week of the school summer break, with the 2026-27 academic year set to begin on August 31.
What are transferable holidays?
A new law that came into effect at the beginning of 2025 allows certain public holidays to be transferred to the start or end of the working week if they fall mid-week, enabling people to enjoy longer, continuous breaks.
The UAE Cabinet has the authority to shift certain public holidays — with the exception of Eid holidays — that fall midweek to either the beginning or end of the week, potentially creating longer breaks for residents.
How Islamic holidays are decided
Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday is among the occasions covered under the UAE’s public holiday calendar, with the final date and any change to the holiday confirmed through official announcements.
Celebrated by many faithful across the globe, the holiday coincides with the religious occasion that falls on 12 Rabi Al Awwal of the Hijri calendar.
The Hijri (Islamic) calendar is based on lunar sightings, meaning the phases of the moon determine its months. Each month begins with the sighting of the new moon.
On the 29th of every Hijri month, the UAE moon sighting committee convenes to observe the crescent and declare the commencement of the next Islamic month.
