With December nearing, the United Arab Emirates is all getting excited about the 54th UAE National Day celebrations. Although the 2nd and 3rd of December have been verified as official holidays, the five-day end-of-the-year holiday is the gossip of the week. This long-awaited relaxation would give local citizens and tourists more time to celebrate the unity of the country and its future.

Holiday dates are Tuesday and Wednesday

The UAE Cabinet officially assured employees in the public and private sectors that they will have off on Tuesday, December 2, and Wednesday, December 3, in honor of the National Day. It is an internationally fixed two-day holiday annually, which celebrates the establishment in 1971. These midweek holidays, however, give a chance to have a long break in the year 2025.

Expected National Day 2025 Holiday Schedule

Date	Day of Week	Observed Holiday	Significance
November 29	Saturday	Typical Weekend Day	Start of the five-day break.
November 30	Sunday	Commemoration Day	Mandatory public holiday.
December 1	Monday	Potential Bridge Holiday	Highly anticipated day off to complete the continuous break.
December 2	Tuesday	UAE National Day	Official day of the 54th Union.
December 3	Wednesday	UAE National Day Holiday	The traditional second day of the celebration.

The final decision on the December 1 bridge day will come from the Ministry closer to the end of the year.

The key to a longer weekend: Monday, December 1

A possible five-day weekend depends on the governmental decision concerning Monday, December 1. This day is also the traditional day of Commemoration Day, the national day of honor of Emirati martyrs. When the government offers Monday as a second holiday, it would provide a five-day holiday from Friday, November 28, to Wednesday, December 3, to those in the Monday-to-Friday working week.

Although there is no official statement, it is highly speculated that the introduction of a flexible holiday law in 2024. Non-Eid holidays can be transferred in accordance with this law to make the weekends longer and improve the balance between work and life of residents.

The power of a new holiday law

According to the change of the law on selecting the public holiday, the UAE Cabinet has the right to remove some holidays either at the start or at the end of the week. This means that if the residents have time off, they can make the most of it without the holiday falling on a weekend with no extra days. They could impose this new flexibility on the December 3 holiday, shifting it to Monday, December 1, and use it to make a four-day weekend.

54 years of progress

The celebration of the 54th National Day will not only be a question of a long weekend. Eid Al Etihad or the day of the miraculous Emirates journey, is celebrated. Six emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah) united on the 2nd of December 1971, and formed the United Arab Emirates. Ras Al Khaimah joined in 1972. The celebrations of this year will present the rich culture of this country, national pride, and technological developments.

Anticipated celebrations across the nation

The UAE will be full of festive moods, with beautiful fireworks and laser displays, traditional performances, and parades. Famous buildings such as Burj Khalifa and Abu Dhabi Corniche will be illuminated with spectacular lights. Major events will be organized in all seven emirates, with the citizens and residents being encouraged to participate in the unification and development celebration.

On Tuesday, December 2, a central ceremony will take place, during which the UAE leadership will be present, at a culturally significant place.

Waiting for the official Notification

Although there is a lot of excitement in the anticipation of a five-day weekend, the residents are urged to await the official government announcement. New holiday law and previous announcements make the possibility of a long weekend very high, though it might only be known how many days off will be granted towards the end of the date.

Meanwhile, the locals and tourists will be able to begin thinking about how they will use their longer vacation, whether it be on the road, taking a break, or celebrating the countrywide event. The possibility of an extra-long holiday is what makes National Day 2025 one of the most anticipated holidays of the year.

Not only a national holiday, the 54th National Day of the UAE is an occasion to recall the success of the country, celebrate its history, and social maturity of the country, and a promising future. The fact that there might be a long break only increases the excitement, and it is the ideal occasion to have the people within the community gather and make merry in the spirit of the union.