Eid Al Etihad 2026: expected holiday dates and what is on that week
The official dates are not out yet, but the break usually falls on 2 and 3 December, the same week as Bocelli, the Bolshoi and the Grand Prix.
The official Eid Al Etihad holiday dates for 2026 have not been announced yet, Khaleej Times reported on 18 October. The holiday usually falls on 2 and 3 December, which this year are a Wednesday and a Thursday.
If that pattern holds, the break runs straight into one of the busiest weeks of the year. Andrea Bocelli plays Etihad Arena on Wednesday 2 December as part of Yasalam Classics, and the Bolshoi Theatre opens its first official UAE tour at Dubai Opera the same night with Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride, followed by a Bolshoi orchestra concert on 3 December.
On Thursday 3 December, Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson open the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after-race concerts at Etihad Park, a show for race ticket holders. The Grand Prix weekend at Yas Marina runs until the race on Sunday 6 December, and the Bolshoi's Nutcracker plays Dubai Opera from 4 to 6 December.
The celebrations start earlier in some places. Nawal and Abdulla Almestrih perform at Khorfakkan Amphitheatre on 28 November as part of the UAE's 55th Eid Al Etihad celebrations, and the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba has scheduled fireworks for National Day.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2026Race day Sun 6 Dec · Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: Khaleej Times, The National, Gulf Today, Khaleej Times
