Long Weekend Coming Up And Dry Day Announced

Good news residents! The UAE Cabinet and Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation(MOHRE) have announced a holiday for both the public and private sectors next week to mark Al Hijri New Year.

Holiday on 13th September

Marking the beginning of the Islamic new year, an important occasion for Muslims observing the first day of Muharram (first day of the Islamic calendar). The holy occasion is likely to fall between Tuesday, 11th September to Wednesday, 12th September, which are working days.

Instead, workers will enjoy a day off on Thursday, 13th September creating a long weekend.

No public celebrations to mark the new year

Normally, Hijri Islamic new year is celebrated by religious activities such as praying and pilgrimage. However, there won’t be any public celebrations or events happening, unlike Eid. Also, hotels and bars won’t be performing live entertainment, nor will alcohol be served as it will be a dry day as of Monday, 10th September from 6 pm till Tuesday, 11th September 7 pm.

Next public holiday in November

Similar to Hijri Islamic new year, the next public holiday will fall on a Tuesday too, marking Prophet Muhammed’s(PBUH) birthday, on 20th November. We’ve got our fingers crossed hoping the holiday instead gets scheduled for a Thursday instead and lastly, there will be two remaining public holidays, marking Commemoration Day on 30th November and UAE National Day on 2nd December.

Holiday	Date(s)	Day(s)	No. of holiday(s)
Al Isra’a Wal Mi’raj(Ascension Day)	April 13th	Friday	1
Eid Al-Fitr	June 15th and 16th	Friday and Saturday	2
Arafat Day	August 21st	Tuesday	1
Eid Al-Adha	August 22nd and 23rd	Wednesday and Thursday	2
Al Hijri-Islamic New Year	September 11th	Tuesday	1
Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday	November 20th	Tuesday	1
Commemoration Day	November 30th	Friday	1
UAE National Day	December 2nd	Sunday	1