Eid Al Etihad (UAE National Day) 2026

Type of holiday: statutory public holiday, a non-working day.

Eid Al Etihad falls on 2 December and marks the anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates in 1971. It is a national rather than a religious occasion, its date is fixed in the Gregorian calendar, and no moon sighting or committee decision is involved. Together with the following day and with 1 January, it forms the entirely predictable part of the UAE holiday calendar.

What happened in 1971

Following the announcement of the British withdrawal from the Gulf, the rulers of six emirates — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah — signed the founding agreement at Union House in Dubai on 2 December 1971. Ras Al Khaimah joined on 10 February 1972, completing the federation of seven. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan became the first president and held the office until 2004. The date thus commemorates a union of states rather than an independence won, which is reflected in how the day is described.

The name changed in 2024

Until 2024 the occasion was officially UAE National Day. The government then adopted Eid Al Etihad — the feast of the union — as the formal name, without altering the date or the number of days off. Both names remain in wide use, in signage, in the media and in what people search for, so a calendar showing either is showing the same holiday.

How the country looks

Flags appear on cars, buildings and balconies for a fortnight beforehand, and the national colours of red, green, white and black are used everywhere from window displays to school uniforms. The Al Fursan aerobatic team performs over several cities, fireworks and drone shows run on both evenings, and heritage displays, camel processions and folk performances are staged in the older quarters. Schools hold their own celebrations in the days before. Early December brings daytime temperatures around 25 °C, so this is an outdoor holiday in a way that the summer ones cannot be.

The counting rule is blunt and worth knowing in advance. Since the UAE grants no substitute days, a 2 December falling on a Saturday is absorbed by the weekend and no replacement is given. In years when both 2 and 3 December land at the weekend, the December break disappears entirely — and because the dates are fixed, anyone can work out which years those will be well ahead of time.