Eid in Dubai 2027: Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha dates, holiday rules and getting around

The next Eid in Dubai is Eid Al Fitr 2027, expected around Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 March, followed by Eid Al Adha around Sunday 16 May 2027. Both dates are astronomical estimates; the UAE confirms each Eid by moon sighting the evening before. Expect early-morning prayer traffic, free street parking, late nights at parks and malls, and packed airport roads. Our chauffeur service in Dubai runs through every Eid.

Two things catch visitors out. The final date isn’t known until the night before, and the busiest roads aren’t on Eid itself but on the last working afternoon before it, when residents head to the airport straight from work.

Eid dates in 2026, 2027 and 2028

Year	Eid Al Fitr	Eid Al Adha	Status
2026	Friday 20 March; holiday 19–22 March	Wednesday 27 May; Arafat Day Tuesday 26 May	Both past
2027	Around Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 March	Around Sunday 16 May; Arafat Day around Saturday 15 May	Expected; holiday widely projected for 15–18 May
2028	Around Saturday 26 February	Around Friday 5 May; Arafat Day around Thursday 4 May	Astronomical estimate

Islamic months start with the new crescent, so each date can move by a day either way. Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February, which is why Eid Al Fitr lands in the second week of March. Our guide to getting around Dubai in Ramadan covers the month before.

How the Eid public holidays work

The rules sit on the UAE government’s public holidays page, and they apply to both the public and private sectors:

• Eid Al Fitr: 1 to 3 Shawwal. If Ramadan lasts 30 days, the 30th day of Ramadan is also a holiday, so the break becomes four days.
• Arafat Day: 9 Dhul Hijjah, the day before Eid Al Adha.
• Eid Al Adha: 10 to 12 Dhul Hijjah, three days.
• Weekends: under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, a holiday that falls on the weekend isn’t transferred to another day.

That last rule matters in 2027. If Arafat Day falls on Saturday 15 May, as expected, it overlaps the weekend, and the working days off are the Monday and Tuesday after Eid.

How the announcement works in practice: the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation usually publishes the private-sector holiday in advance, with a “plus one day if Ramadan runs 30 days” clause for Eid Al Fitr. In 2026 it set 19–21 March, extended to 22 March if Ramadan completed 30 days. It did, and Eid fell on Friday 20 March.

For bookings, this means one thing: if you need a car on Eid morning, book it for both possible dates. Free cancellation applies up to 6 hours before pickup, so the spare booking costs nothing.

What Eid morning does to the roads

Eid starts early. The Eid prayer is held shortly after sunrise, at mosques and at open-air prayer grounds, and Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department publishes the times the day before. Between first light and about 8am, roads around the larger mosques fill with parked cars and families on foot.

After the prayer the city goes quiet for a few hours while families visit each other. Then it fills again from late afternoon: parks, beaches, malls and attractions stay busy well past midnight for every night of the holiday.

Time of day on Eid	What the roads do	Our advice
Dawn to about 8am	Slow around mosques and prayer grounds	Allow extra time for early airport runs on these streets
Late morning to mid-afternoon	Quiet; family visits	Best window for long transfers and airport pickups
Late afternoon to midnight	Busy around parks, beaches, malls and Global Village	Hourly hire so the car waits instead of circling
After midnight	Malls and attractions emptying	Pre-agree the pickup; taxis are hard to find

Metro, parking and what’s open

The RTA publishes Eid service hours a few days before each holiday. Its Eid Al Adha 2025 announcement is a good guide to the pattern:

Service	Eid Al Adha 2025
Dubai Metro, Red and Green Lines	5am to 1am (next day), 4–7 June
Dubai Tram	6am to 1am (next day), 4–7 June
Public parking	Free 5–8 June, except multi-level parking terminals

For Eid Al Adha 2026, Dubai’s public parks, including Zabeel Park, Creek Park, Al Safa Park and Mushrif National Park, opened from 8am to midnight, and several Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim and Al Mamzar beaches became family-only zones, according to reports at the time. Expect similar arrangements in 2027. Dubai also marks Eid with fireworks and family events; the line-up appears on the Dubai Calendar a few days before.

Free parking sounds helpful, but on Eid evenings it means every space near a park or beach goes by late afternoon. A car that drops you at the gate and returns at an agreed time takes that problem away.

Flying in or out over Eid

Eid is one of the peak times at DXB. Residents fly home or on holiday, and visitors from across the region fly in. From what we see on our dispatch board, the heaviest airport days are:

1. The last working afternoon and evening before the holiday. Departures, plus everyone driving to the airport straight from the office.
2. The first morning of the holiday. Early flights for families who waited for the confirmation.
3. The final evening of the break. Returning residents land at the same time.

Book an airport transfer about a week ahead for those days, and leave earlier than your app suggests on the last working afternoon. Our airport pickups include flight tracking and 45–60 minutes of free waiting, which helps when immigration queues run long.

Getting around with family over Eid

Eid is about visiting, so most of our Eid bookings are hourly: one car, several homes, a lunch and an evening out. Hourly hire has a 3-hour minimum and no holiday surcharge.

Group	Car we’d send
Two to three people	Business sedan or Mercedes S-Class
Family of up to six	Large SUV such as a GMC Yukon or Cadillac Escalade
Larger family with grandparents	Mercedes V-Class, easier to climb into than an SUV
Extended family or staff outing	Minibus or coach, which we arrange with a driver

Eid also collides with other dates. Eid Al Fitr 2027 is expected just before Gulfood, which runs 15–19 March 2027, so the week after Eid will be busy around DWTC and Expo City. Our Dubai events calendar shows the rest of the spring.

Frequently asked questions

Is the date of Eid confirmed?

Not until the evening before. The UAE’s moon-sighting committee looks for the new crescent on the 29th day of the Islamic month and announces Eid the same night. Astronomical calculations put Eid Al Fitr 2027 around 9 or 10 March and Eid Al Adha 2027 around 16 May, but either can move by a day.

What are the two dates for Eid in 2027?

Eid Al Fitr is expected around Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 March 2027, after Ramadan. Eid Al Adha is expected around Sunday 16 May 2027, with Arafat Day around Saturday 15 May. Both are subject to the official moon sighting in the UAE.

How many days is the Eid holiday in the UAE?

Eid Al Fitr is 1 to 3 Shawwal, three days, plus the 30th of Ramadan when Ramadan runs 30 days. Eid Al Adha is three days, 10 to 12 Dhul Hijjah, plus Arafat Day the day before, so four days in total. The same holidays apply to the public and private sectors.

Is parking free in Dubai during Eid?

Usually, yes. For Eid Al Adha 2025, the RTA made public parking free from 5 to 8 June, except multi-level parking terminals, and it announced similar arrangements for other holidays. Check the RTA’s announcement a few days before each Eid for that year’s exceptions.

Does the Dubai Metro run during Eid?

Yes, with longer hours. During Eid Al Adha 2025, the Red and Green Lines ran from 5am to 1am the next day, and the tram from 6am to 1am. The RTA publishes each Eid’s timetable a few days before the holiday.