There’s no long weekend for 2022. 

The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has announced the UAE public holiday for Islamic New Year. This year, the public holiday falls on Saturday, 30 July. So, for those of you who would normally have the weekend off, this means that there won’t be a long weekend. 

The Islamic New Year, also called Hijri New Year, begins on the first day of the month of Muharram. As the Islamic calendar is lunar, it is different to the Gregorian calendar. The news was confirmed via the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s Twitter.

The next big UAE public holiday is Al-Mawlid Al-Nabawi. This is the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and is an annual public holiday that is likely to begin on the evening of Friday 7 October and end on the evening of Saturday 8 October. 

Commemoration Day, previously known as Martyr’s Day, recognises the sacrifices of Emiratis who sacrificed their lives in civil, military and humanitarian services. The public holiday falls on Thursday 1 December. Plus, UAE National Day falls next to it on Friday 1 December and Saturday 3 December. It is expected that extra holidays will be announced closer to the time, potentially creating a three or four-day long weekend.