The Dates of School Holidays in Dubai [2024]

As much as children in Dubai love going to school, they also look forward to days when they don’t need to be in the classroom.

It’s also important to know about school holidays as a parent or guardian, so you can plan your own family calendar ahead.

There are four main school holidays in Dubai:

Winter break (Mid-December to early January)
Spring break (Late March to early April)
Summer break (Late June and early September)
Eid (Depends on the lunar calendar)

The dates of these breaks will depend on the type of academic curriculum that the school follows and other factors like the sighting of the crescent moon for Eid.

Dubai also follows several special holidays on a fixed date every year.

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The Academic Year in Dubai

Private and public schools in Dubai have the option to choose between two academic years as long as they follow the mandated 182-day school year.

Some schools in Dubai start in September while others begin in April.

In this table, we’ll see the start and end of the academic year in Dubai using 2022-2023 as a sample:

	Start of the Academic Year	End of the Academic Year
April 2022-2023 Academic Year	4 April 2022	13 - 31 March 2023 (Schools have the option to end their academic year between these dates as long as they follow the required number of school days and receive KHDA approval)
September 2022-2023 Academic Year	29 August 2022	28 June 2023 (Schools shouldn’t end their academic year before this date)

Winter Break

Winter season in Dubai runs from December to March and during this time, students also get to enjoy their winter break.

For the 2022-2023 academic year, winter break for all public and private schools should run from 11 December 2022 to 21 January 2023.

The exact dates will be determined by the school depending on their current academic year:

	Start of Winter Break	End of Winter Break
April 2022-2023 Academic Year	12 December 2022	2 January 2023
September 2022-2023 Academic Year	12 December 2022	30 December 2022

Spring and Summer Break

According to the rules implemented by the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE), students should be given a three-week spring break running from late March to early April.

International schools have the option to split their spring break into a two-week and one-week break depending on their own academic schedule.

Summer breaks should also be not more than 8.2 weeks running from late June to early September.

In this table, you’ll see the spring and summer break schedules for the academic year 2022-2023:

	Start of Spring Break	End of Spring Break	Start of Summer Break	End of Summer Break
April 2022-2023 Academic Year	Not applicable	Not applicable	4 July 2022	29 August 2022
September 2022-2023 Academic Year	27 March 2023 (Both MoE curriculum and international curriculum schools)	7 April 2023 (International curriculum) 14 April 2023 (MoE curriculum)	Not applicable	Not applicable

Eid Break

Since the UAE is an Islamic country, it celebrates the Holy Month of Ramadan where Muslims fast and pray for a month to commemorate the first revelation of the Holy Quran.

The dates for the Eid break will differ each year since the holiday depends on the sighting of the crescent moon.

This year, the UAE will celebrate Ramadan from 23 March until 21 April, according to data from the international Astronomical Center.

During this time, schools will only be open for eight days since it falls during spring break that runs from 27 March to 7 April.

These school holidays will also be observed in relation to the Holy Month of Ramadan:


Eid Al-Fitr - This is celebrated by Muslims to mark the end of Ramadan and the first day of Shawwal. It’s also called the “Festival of Sweets” and the “Holiday of Breaking the Fast.”	21 April - 22 April 2023 (The exact date will depend on the sighting of the moon of Shawwal.)
Arafat Day - Also known as Hajj day, this marks the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage before the first day of Eid Al Adha. Hajj Day happens on the 9th day of Dhul-Hijjah or the last month in the Islamic calendar.	27 June - 28 June 2023
Eid Al- Adha - Also known as the “Festival of Sacrifice,” this is celebrated by Muslims around the world to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God.	28 June 2023

Special Holidays

Aside from major holidays to commemorate the different seasons in Dubai and the Holy Month of Ramadan, you should also include these special holidays in your calendar:


Gregorian New Year - This marks the first day of the Gregorian Calendar	1 January 2023
Islamic New Year (Hijri) - This commemorates the journey of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD and the beginning of the year in the Islamic calendar.	30 July 2023
The Birthday of Prophet Muhammad - This day celebrates the birthday of the most important figure in Islamic faith, the great Prophet Muhammad.	8 October 2023
Commemoration Day - This day honors the Emirati heroes who gave up their lives while defending the country	1 November 2023
UAE National Day - This day commemorates the unification of the seven emirates of the UAE in 1971.	2 December 2023

Celebrating Dubai School Holidays

Whether you’re a parent or guardian, it’s very important to keep tabs on these school holidays if you have students in Dubai.

These dates will also help you plan your family holidays or trips to ensure that your children won’t be absent from school and you can maximize your time as a family.