How many days until New Year's Day?

New Year's Day, 1 January, is one of only three public holidays in the United Arab Emirates that sit on a fixed Gregorian date. Everything else on the federal list except Commemoration Day and National Day follows the Hijri lunar calendar and moves about eleven days earlier each year, which makes this one of the few dates residents can plan a year ahead without waiting for an announcement.

The countdown ends at midnight between 31 December and 1 January, which in this country is a moment several hundred thousand people watch in person. The fireworks at the Burj Khalifa, along the Palm and across the Abu Dhabi corniche are timed to the second, the roads into the display areas close hours beforehand, and the metro runs extended services to move everyone home afterwards.

The day itself is quiet in the way a single-day holiday is: a late start, a long breakfast, and beaches and parks that are pleasant at midday in a way they will not be again until November. Because the holiday is a single day rather than a break, offices are back the following morning unless the date falls next to the weekend.

When the countdown reaches zero it resets and begins running towards the next 1 January, so the page stays useful all year rather than expiring on the day.