UAE Public Holidays 2017 & School Holidays 2017/2018

4th January 2017

To help with planning your business trips to the UAE and doing business in the UAE during 2017, please see below a list of the anticipated public holidays and make a note of them in your diary. Please note, this should be used as a guide only as Islamic holidays are subject to the sighting of the moon and may differ. It is common for the exact dates of the public holidays to be confirmed approximately a week prior, so check the local press around the following dates for the confirmations.

Public Holidays 2017

New Year’s Day, Sunday 1st January (1 day)

Isra’a Wal Mi'raj, Monday 24th April (1 day)

Ramadan to commence*, Thursday 25th May

Eid Al Fitr, Sunday 25th June (2 days)

Arafat Day, Thursday 31st August (1 Day)

Eid Al Adha, Friday 1st September (2 days)

Hijri New Year, Thursday 22nd September (1 day)

Commemoration Day, Thursday 30th November (1 day)

Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (PBUH), Thursday 30th November (1 day)

National Day, Saturday 1st December (1 day)

* Ramadan is not a Public Holiday, but a Holy month of prayer and fasting. Please click the following links for more information about what to expect when doing business in Abu Dhabi during Ramadan, to ensure that you are fully prepared: CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE.

School Holidays 2017 – 2018

Term 2 begins, 8th January 2017

Spring Holiday, 23rd March 2017 – 9th April 2017

Summer Holiday, 22nd June 2017 – 10th September 2017

Winter Holiday, 14th December 2017 – 7th January 2018

Spring Holiday, 22nd March 2018 – 8th April 2018

Summer Holiday begins, 28th June 2018

Please note that Indian schools have a different schedule – Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate for Secondary Education (ICSE) — follow an academic year from April to March. Pakistani and Japanese schools in the UAE also follow this schedule.

Written by Jenny Hunt, Founding Partner & CEO

Gateway Group Of Companies, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, UAE