How New Year is celebrated in UAE?

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah organise fireworks displays every year

According to the official portal of the UAE Government, 1 January is an official day off in the UAE. It is a time when both government employees and private sector workers can enjoy the festivities with family or friends.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah organise large-scale fireworks displays every year, attracting thousands of spectators. One of the main places to welcome the New Year is the Burj Khalifa neighbourhood in Dubai.

This year, according to Emirates News Agency (WAM), Dubai is set to launch more than 45 fireworks shows at 36 key locations throughout New Year’s Eve, covering some of the city’s most iconic tourist, hotel, and commercial areas.

In Ras Al Khaimah, tourists are welcomed by fireworks, which regularly set Guinness records. Last year, two records were achieved in Ras Al Khaimah, following an eight-minute-long fireworks and drone display to celebrate the New Year.

The display broke the records for the longest chain of aquatic floating fireworks, spanning 5.8 kilometres, and the longest straight-line drone display, a total length of 2 kilometres.

It’s a different story for those celebrating Christmas in Abu Dhabi — Christmas in the UAE is not a public holiday. This marks the very first of the 2025 public holidays in the UAE. While this one is confirmed, most of UAE’s public holiday dates remain unconfirmed until very close to the date — and this has to do with the difference between the Islamic calendar and the Gregorian calendar.

Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which is based on solar years and only shifts between 365 or 366 days (every four years), the Hijri calendar is based on the cycles of the moon.

This means each month in the Islamic calendar lasts either 29 or 30 days, and it’s why the Islamic holidays move around every year.