Friday 28 August 2026 is a paid public holiday across the UAE, which makes it a three-day long weekend in Dubai for anyone on the standard Saturday to Sunday weekend, Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August. The day marks Mawlid Al Nabawi, the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), and it covers the federal government and the private sector alike.
Everything else in the city finishes on the same Sunday. Dubai Summer Surprises closes on 30 August and schools go back on Monday 31 August, so Friday to Sunday is the last free weekend of the summer holiday.
The long weekend in Dubai, at a glance
| UAE public holiday 28 August 2026 | Friday, paid, federal government and private sector |
| Religious date | Tuesday 25 August 2026 (12 Rabi’ Al Awwal 1448) |
| The weekend | Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August |
| Back to work | Monday 31 August 2026 |
| Schools return | Monday 31 August 2026 |
| Emirati Women’s Day | Friday 28 August. A national occasion, never a public holiday |
| Dubai Summer Surprises ends | Sunday 30 August 2026 |
What Mawlid Al Nabawi marks
The religious date is 12 Rabi’ Al Awwal, which this year falls on Tuesday 25 August 2026. That date is already fixed. The Rabi’ Al Awwal crescent was sighted on the evening of 13 August 2026, which set the first of the month at 14 August (Gulf News), and the twelfth follows from there.
In the UAE the occasion is observed quietly, through mosque sermons, Quran recitation and charity, rather than through public celebration.
Why the holiday moved to a Friday
The UAE Government Media Office announced the day off for Friday 28 August, and the Dubai Government Human Resources Department confirmed it separately for Dubai government entities on 11 August, adding that official working hours resume on Monday 31 August (Gulf News, Khaleej Times).
The mechanism is Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 on public holidays (u.ae), in force since 1 January 2025, which lets the Cabinet move certain official holidays to the beginning or the end of the week. That is how a Tuesday observance became a Friday day off. The resolution excludes the Eid holidays, Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, from any transfer.
Not everyone gets three days, though. Gulf News frames the holiday as applying to employees on the standard Saturday and Sunday weekend, and Dubai’s own announcement exempts staff who work shifts or whose duties involve serving the public. Plenty of Dubai is working that Friday.
Emirati Women’s Day falls on the same Friday
28 August is also Emirati Women’s Day. It has never been a public holiday and it does not appear on the official public holidays list. In 2026 it simply happens to land on the transferred Mawlid holiday, which is why the two are being confused. Our guide to Emirati Women’s Day in Dubai has twelve ways to mark it across the city, and the dessert offer running here on the Friday and Saturday.
What is open in Dubai on the public holiday
Banks, government offices, courts and federal bodies close on Friday 28 August, as they do on any UAE public holiday. Everything commercial keeps normal hours, and the table below has the detail. Public transport runs. Friday and Sunday metro timings differ, so check rta.ae for the night you are travelling.
| Day | Closed | Open |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 28 August | Banks, government offices, courts | Malls, shops, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, attractions, public transport |
| Saturday 29 August | Normal weekend closures only | Everything on a normal Saturday |
| Sunday 30 August | Normal weekend closures only | Last day of Dubai Summer Surprises |
Restaurants open on the public holiday in Dubai
Restaurants trade as normal across all three days. You do not need to have arranged anything in advance to eat at Jospereno: walk-in welcome, every day. There is no list to get on and nothing to sort out beforehand. You turn up at Al Murooj Complex on Al Mustaqbal St in DIFC and we seat you.
We cook Spanish charcoal-fired steak at 350°C, 100% halal on every cut, under Executive Chef Sewilam Sayed. Premium cuts start at AED 99. The six sharing boards are all AED 199 including VAT and all strictly for two, which works out at roughly AED 100 each, with an extra seat at AED 59 for a third guest. Every board comes with something unlimited: smoked rice, bone marrow or fries, depending on which one you pick.
We are open 11:00 AM to 1:00 AM on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the kitchen takes its last orders at 12:30 AM. The last night of a long weekend is when the city eats late, so that matters more on the Sunday than on the Friday.
- Address. Al Murooj Complex, Al Mustaqbal St, DIFC, Dubai.
- Metro. Financial Centre station, or Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall. Both are on the Red Line.
- Parking. RTA street parking around the complex. It is paid and it is not on-site, so allow a few minutes for it.
Get directions See the menu The six sharing boards
The full price list is on the menu, and the case for the best steakhouse in DIFC is on the front page.
This weekend in Dubai, 28 to 30 August 2026
Dubai Summer Surprises closes on Sunday 30 August, and three city-wide promotions end with it. It is the 29th edition, run by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, and it opened on 2 July (Gulf News).
- Win Your Home in Dubai. Spend AED 500 at a participating outlet, scan the QR code and upload the receipt. Twelve homes across the campaign: a studio apartment awarded each week, and a two-bedroom apartment in the grand draw on 30 August (Gulf News).
- Buy jewellery and win gold. AED 500 or more on jewellery at any of 200-plus participating outlets gives one digital raffle entry, for a share of three kilograms of gold. The grand draw is on 30 August.
- The AED 10 dish. More than 170 restaurants across 700-plus outlets each serve one dish at AED 10 until 30 August. You walk in and ask for it. Jospereno is not part of it.
Ticketed, Saturday and Sunday
- Miami Show Dubai, Coca-Cola Arena, City Walk, Saturday 29 August. Kuwait’s Miami Band, playing as part of Dubai Summer Surprises. From AED 195. Start times are listed inconsistently, so check the venue.
- Gaurav Kapoor Live, Dubai World Trade Centre, Saturday 29 August. Doors 7:30 PM, show 8:30 PM. From AED 125. Two Red Line stops from DIFC.
- Ely Buendia and Chito Miranda, Coca-Cola Arena, Sunday 30 August, 7:00 PM. Two headline sets of Original Pilipino Music, from AED 199.
In DIFC, and one for the occasion
- Womenpreneur’s Emirati Women’s Day Summit and Expo, Ritz-Carlton DIFC, Friday 28 August, 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, with keynotes, an awards ceremony and a women-led business expo. Ticket prices are not published on the listing. The district is otherwise quiet on a holiday Friday. Our guide to things to do in DIFC covers what is there the rest of the year, and our roundup of the best restaurants in DIFC covers where to eat in it.
- Cultural Meals at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, Al Fahidi, Bur Dubai. A seated Emirati meal with an open question-and-answer session, two seats for the price of one until 31 August, from AED 130 per person for the brunch sitting, children under seven free (SMCCU). Of everything on this page, it is the one that actually suits the weekend.
Then, on Monday 31 August, the 2026-27 school year starts. The Ministry of Education’s unified academic calendar sets that date for public and private schools alike (MoE), which makes 28 to 30 August the last free weekend of the holiday for families.
Long weekend in Dubai, common questions
Is 28 August a public holiday in the UAE?
Yes. Friday 28 August 2026 is a paid public holiday for the federal government and the private sector, marking Mawlid Al Nabawi. It was announced by the UAE Government Media Office, and Dubai’s own government entities were covered by a separate announcement from the Dubai Government Human Resources Department. Emirati Women’s Day falls on the same date. It is a national occasion and has never been a day off.
Why was the Prophet’s birthday holiday moved to Friday?
Because the law allows it. Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, in force since 1 January 2025, lets the Cabinet move certain official holidays to the start or the end of the week. The religious date is Tuesday 25 August 2026, and the paid day off was placed on Friday 28 August, producing a three-day weekend. The Eid holidays are the ones that can never be moved this way.
What is open in Dubai over the long weekend?
Almost everything except banks, government offices and courts. Malls, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, cinemas and paid attractions all run normal hours across the three days. Public transport runs, and Dubai Summer Surprises is still on until the Sunday.
Are restaurants open on the public holiday in Dubai?
Yes. Restaurants trade as normal on 28 August. Jospereno is open 11:00 AM to 1:00 AM on all three days, with the kitchen taking last orders at 12:30 AM.
Can I just walk in at Jospereno?
Yes. Jospereno is walk-in only, every day of the year, including the public holiday. There is no list, no deposit and nothing to sort out beforehand. Turn up and we will seat you.
What time does Jospereno close over the long weekend?
1:00 AM, every night, Friday through Sunday. The kitchen takes its last orders at 12:30 AM, so there is time to sit down after a late show.
When do schools go back in Dubai?
Monday 31 August 2026. The Ministry of Education’s unified academic calendar sets that date for public and private schools, and Dubai schools follow it. Confirm with your own school, since a small number set their own start.
When is the next long weekend in the UAE?
Not December, as things stand. The next public holiday is Eid Al Etihad, on Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026, and those two days land midweek, so Friday 4 December is still a working day. Taking that Friday as leave turns it into five days off, Wednesday to Sunday. The Cabinet can move holidays other than the two Eids to the start or the end of the week, as it did with this one, so December could still change.
Three days, no plan needed
Friday is a paid day off and a national occasion. Saturday is when the ticketed events land. Then Sunday closes the summer, and the school run starts again on Monday morning. If you want one thing this weekend that needs nothing arranged in advance, we are open 11:00 AM to 1:00 AM all three days, at Al Murooj Complex in DIFC.
Last updated 24 August 2026. Sources: Gulf News · Khaleej Times · u.ae public holidays · Ministry of Education academic calendar · Visit Dubai, Dubai Summer Surprises. Event times and prices were correct on 24 August 2026 and are set by the organisers, not by us.