While all the long weekends of this year are done, the festive season has brought with it the glad tidings of a public holiday in 2026!
The UAE has officially confirmed the first public holiday date of 2026, following putting out the entire list earlier this year.
In a circular issued by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, New Year’s Day has been confirmed as an official day off for public sector workers.
And while it’s not a complete long weekend, government workers will be allowed to work remotely on Friday, 2 January.
This means that the first official day in the office for public sector workers in 2026 is Monday, 5 January.
January 1 or New Year’s Day is an official public holiday across the country, according to the official UAE public holiday law.
Does the private sector get a public holiday for New Year’s Day?
Private sector workers also have 1 January, 2026, off for New Year’s Day. However, unlike federal sector workers, office resumes on Friday, 2 January.
After the New Year’s Day holiday, UAE residents will not have to wait long, with the Eid al-Fitr break projected to come early this year at the end of March. The longest public holiday of 2026 is predicted to be Eid Al Adha, which could give us a whopping six-day-long weekend in May.
Now that’s a start to the summer we can get behind!
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