Public holidays in Saudi Arabia

10 days in 2026 · 10 in 2027

Next public holiday

Founding Day

يوم التأسيس

After it: Eid al-Fitr, Tuesday 9 March

Saudi Arabia's Labour Law gives ten days off a year, and eight of them belong to the two Eids. Each Eid is a block of four days fixed by the Umm al-Qura lunar calendar: Eid al-Fitr starts the day after the 29th of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha starts on the Day of Arafah, the day of the Hajj itself. The other two are civic and fall on fixed Gregorian dates, Founding Day on 22 February and National Day on 23 September. No other religious day, not the Islamic new year, the Prophet's birthday or Ashura, is a day off.

In 2026 the Eid al-Fitr holiday ran from Thursday 19 March to Sunday 22 March, after the Ministry of Human Resources announced that it would begin at the end of work on 18 March, the 29th of Ramadan, and the Eid al-Adha holiday from Tuesday 26 May, the Day of Arafah, to Friday 29 May. Founding Day fell on Sunday 22 February and National Day on Wednesday 23 September.

The calendar shown here is the one the Labour Law sets for private and non-profit employers. Government employees and banks close for longer around each Eid, and the dates for 2027 are those the Umm al-Qura calendar gives in the central bank's published schedule, which the ministry confirms shortly before each holiday.

Days off in 2026: 10Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday: 7Sunday to Thursday
On a weekend: 3Friday or Saturday
Long weekends: 3and 1 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Saudi Arabia in 2026

22 February: Founding Dayيوم التأسيسFounding Day marks 22 February 1727, when Muhammad bin Saud became ruler of Diriyah, the date the government counts as the start of the first Saudi state. A royal decree of 27 January 2022 made it an annual public holiday.Sunday
19 March: Eid al-Fitr holidayعيد الفطرThe festival that ends the fast of Ramadan and begins the month of Shawwal. Under the Labour Law the holiday lasts four days from the day after the 29th of Ramadan in the Umm al-Qura calendar.ThursdayDate moves
20 March: Eid al-Fitrعيد الفطرThe festival that ends the fast of Ramadan and begins the month of Shawwal. Under the Labour Law the holiday lasts four days from the day after the 29th of Ramadan in the Umm al-Qura calendar.FridayDate moves
21 March: Eid al-Fitr holidayعيد الفطرThe festival that ends the fast of Ramadan and begins the month of Shawwal. Under the Labour Law the holiday lasts four days from the day after the 29th of Ramadan in the Umm al-Qura calendar.SaturdayDate moves
22 March: Eid al-Fitr holidayعيد الفطرThe festival that ends the fast of Ramadan and begins the month of Shawwal. Under the Labour Law the holiday lasts four days from the day after the 29th of Ramadan in the Umm al-Qura calendar.SundayDate moves
26 May: Eid al-Adha holiday, Day of Arafahعيد الأضحىThe Feast of the Sacrifice, on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja during the Hajj, commemorating Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. The four-day holiday starts on the Day of Arafah, the 9th, when pilgrims stand on the plain of Arafat.TuesdayDate moves
27 May: Eid al-Adhaعيد الأضحىThe Feast of the Sacrifice, on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja during the Hajj, commemorating Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. The four-day holiday starts on the Day of Arafah, the 9th, when pilgrims stand on the plain of Arafat.WednesdayDate moves
28 May: Eid al-Adha holidayعيد الأضحىThe Feast of the Sacrifice, on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja during the Hajj, commemorating Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. The four-day holiday starts on the Day of Arafah, the 9th, when pilgrims stand on the plain of Arafat.ThursdayDate moves
29 May: Eid al-Adha holidayعيد الأضحىThe Feast of the Sacrifice, on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja during the Hajj, commemorating Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. The four-day holiday starts on the Day of Arafah, the 9th, when pilgrims stand on the plain of Arafat.FridayDate moves
23 September: National Dayاليوم الوطنيNational Day marks the royal decree of 23 September 1932 that joined the kingdoms of the Hejaz and Najd as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudipedia dates its status as an official holiday to a royal order of 2004; Wikipedia's culture article gives 2006.Wednesday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Saudi Arabia in 2026

Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.

3daysFri 20 Feb to Sun 22 FebFounding Day
4daysThu 19 Mar to Sun 22 MarEid al-Fitr holiday, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr holiday, Eid al-Fitr holiday
5daysTue 26 May to Sat 30 MayEid al-Adha holiday, Day of Arafah, Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Adha holiday, Eid al-Adha holiday
4daysWed 23 Sept to Sat 26 SeptWith Thu 24 Sept taken as leave · National Day

2027

Public holidays in Saudi Arabia in 2027

22 February: Founding Dayيوم التأسيسMonday
9 March: Eid al-Fitrعيد الفطرTuesdayDate moves
10 March: Eid al-Fitr holidayعيد الفطرWednesdayDate moves
11 March: Eid al-Fitr holidayعيد الفطرThursdayDate moves
12 March: Eid al-Fitr holidayعيد الفطرFridayDate moves
15 May: Eid al-Adha holiday, Day of Arafahعيد الأضحىSaturdayDate moves
16 May: Eid al-Adhaعيد الأضحىSundayDate moves
17 May: Eid al-Adha holidayعيد الأضحىMondayDate moves
18 May: Eid al-Adha holidayعيد الأضحىTuesdayDate moves
23 September: National Dayاليوم الوطنيThursday

Observances

Days marked in Saudi Arabia that are not days off

11 March: Flag Dayيوم العلمFlag Day, set by a royal order of 2023 for 11 March each year, the date in 1937 on which King Abdulaziz approved the flag's form. It is marked but is not a day off.Wednesday

When an Eid holiday overlaps the Friday and Saturday weekend, the Labour Law entitles workers to the same number of days before or after it, and annual leave that overlaps an Eid is extended by the Eid days. National Day is the exception: when it falls inside an Eid, no day is given back. When Founding Day or National Day falls on a Friday, the central bank's schedule moves the holiday to the Thursday before, and when it falls on a Saturday, to the Sunday after.

The public sector closes for longer. Arabic Wikipedia gives government offices about ten to twelve days for each Eid, and Saudipedia describes the Eid al-Fitr break running from about the 25th of Ramadan to the 5th of Shawwal. A Council of Ministers decision of 16 January 2024 set four to five working days for each Eid at government bodies whose staff fall under the Labour Law. Banks follow the central bank: in 2026 financial institutions closed from Tuesday 17 March to Monday 23 March for Eid al-Fitr and from Sunday 24 May to Thursday 28 May for Eid al-Adha.

The dates for 2027 rest on the central bank's schedule, which places the 29th of Ramadan 1448 on Monday 8 March 2027 and the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja 1448 on Sunday 16 May 2027. That gives Eid al-Fitr from Tuesday 9 March to Friday 12 March and Eid al-Adha from Saturday 15 May to Tuesday 18 May. The Ministry of Human Resources announces each Eid shortly beforehand, and the start of the lunar months depends on the sighting of the new moon, so a day either way is possible.

The weekend has been Friday and Saturday since 23 June 2013, when a decision of King Abdullah moved it from Thursday and Friday.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Saudi Arabia

How many public holidays does Saudi Arabia have?

Four occasions and ten days off under the Labour Law: four days for Eid al-Fitr, four for Eid al-Adha, one for Founding Day on 22 February and one for National Day on 23 September. Flag Day on 11 March is marked but is not a day off. Government employees receive longer Eid breaks than private-sector workers.

Why are the Eid dates confirmed only shortly before?

Because the Islamic months start with the sighting of the new crescent moon. The Umm al-Qura calendar gives the expected dates years ahead, and the central bank publishes its schedule on that basis, but the Ministry of Human Resources announces each Eid holiday a few weeks before it, as it did on 4 March 2026 for the Eid al-Fitr that began after work on 18 March.

What happens when an Eid holiday falls on the weekend?

Workers do not lose the days. The Labour Law's regulations say that when an Eid holiday overlaps the weekly rest days, the worker is given the same number of days before or after the holiday. In 2026 Eid al-Fitr ran from Thursday 19 March to Sunday 22 March, so two of its four days fell on the Friday and Saturday weekend.

Do government employees get longer Eid holidays than private-sector workers?

Yes. The Labour Law gives four days for each Eid in the private and non-profit sectors, while government offices close for longer: Arabic Wikipedia puts the civil-service break at about ten to twelve days, and Saudipedia describes Eid al-Fitr running from about the 25th of Ramadan to the 5th of Shawwal. Banks follow a separate schedule set by the central bank.

Is the Prophet's birthday a holiday in Saudi Arabia?

No. The Prophet's birthday, the Islamic new year and Ashura, which are days off in several other Muslim countries, are not public holidays in Saudi Arabia, and Wikipedia notes that celebrating them is tolerated only locally and on a small scale. Only the two Eids are religious holidays, alongside the civic Founding Day and National Day.

What is the difference between Founding Day and National Day?

They mark two beginnings. Founding Day, 22 February, marks Muhammad bin Saud becoming ruler of Diriyah in 1727, which the government counts as the founding of the first Saudi state; it became a holiday by royal decree in 2022. National Day, 23 September, marks the decree of 1932 that created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from the kingdoms of the Hejaz and Najd.

When does Eid al-Adha fall in Saudi Arabia in 2027?

The holiday is expected to run from Saturday 15 May 2027, the Day of Arafah, to Tuesday 18 May, with the Eid itself on Sunday 16 May. Those dates come from the Umm al-Qura equivalences in the central bank's schedule, which closes banks from Sunday 16 May to Thursday 20 May; the Ministry of Human Resources confirms the private-sector holiday shortly before.

Dates from Written from the sources, read 2026-10-02. The page counts from Saturday, 3 October 2026, the day it was built.