A holiday for the public and private sector in Dubai on the occasion of Islamic New Year, also known as Hijri New Year has been confirmed.
The announcement for public sector was made on the official Twitter account of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) that the holiday would fall on the first day of Muharram, according to the Islamic Calendar, and the government news agency WAM has since confirmed the holiday for private sector on the same day.
While the confirmed date of the Hijri New Year depends upon the moon sighting, it is expected to fall on Sunday, 1 September meaning that residents will have a long weekend break starting from 30 August to 1 September.
In honour of the Islamic New Year, Dubai is likely to observe a dry night from 6.30pm on Saturday 31 August until 7.30 pm on Sunday 1 September. During dry night hours, restaurants and hotels across Dubai are refrained from serving alcohol and playing live entertainment.
The next and the last long weekend of the year will combine the holidays for Commemoration Day on Sunday, 1 December and UAE National Day on Monday, December 2 and Tuesday, 3 December as announced earlier this year by the FAHR.