Victorian school breaks, laid on Dubai’s calendar.
If you plan a Dubai trip around the school year in Victoria, the dates are published, but the Dubai side is not always obvious. Ramadan and Easter move, and the heat changes a lot between the summer break and the winter break. This guide sets the Victorian government’s term dates against what we can source for Dubai, and says where we could only open one state.
What the Victorian government publishes
The Victorian Government’s term dates page, updated on 2 October 2026, says Term 4 of 2026 runs from Monday 5 October to Friday 18 December. The school holidays then run from Monday 21 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027, and students in government schools return on Thursday 28 January. The page says the Minister approves term dates in five-year blocks, and the 2026 to 2030 block was approved in June 2021. Dates for later years are therefore published well ahead, though you should still check the page before you book.
For 2027, the same page lists Term 1 from Wednesday 27 January to Thursday 25 March, Term 2 from Monday 12 April to Friday 25 June, Term 3 from Monday 12 July to Friday 17 September, and Term 4 from Monday 4 October to Friday 17 December. This page covers government schools in Victoria only. Other states set their own dates, and we could not open them.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteThe four breaks and Dubai
Reading the gaps between those terms gives four windows. The Dubai figures are mean daily highs from the World Meteorological Organization’s page for Dubai, supplied by the UAE National Center of Meteorology. They are older long-term averages, not this year’s weather, so check the forecast before you pack.
| Victorian break | Dates | Dubai mean daily high (older average) | What falls inside it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | 21 December 2026 to 27 January 2027 | December 26.2 C, January 24.0 C | Dubai Shopping Festival is listed for 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. New Year’s Eve |
| Autumn | 26 March to 11 April 2027 | March 27.9 C, April 32.4 C | Easter Sunday on 28 March. Ramadan is expected to be over |
| Winter | 26 June to 11 July 2027 | June 38.8 C, July 40.6 C | No dated event in our research |
| Spring | 18 September to 3 October 2027 | September 38.7 C, October 35.1 C | No dated event in our research |
The summer break is the long one, and it meets Dubai’s cooler months. Our Dubai Shopping Festival and New Year’s Eve guides cover what sits inside it. The winter break lands in Dubai’s hottest month in the table, and our summer trip pacing guide explains how a day can be shaped around that.
Ramadan and Eid sit inside Term 1
Press forecasts say Ramadan 2027 will start around 8 February and last 29 or 30 days, with Eid Al Fitr expected on 9 or 10 March. The National quotes the UAE Astronomy Centre, and Gulf News agrees. Both are forecasts. The UAE follows the moon-sighting committee’s announcement, so treat every date as expected, subject to moon sighting.
That puts Ramadan inside Victoria’s Term 1, which runs to 25 March. A family on school holidays will not meet it, but a school tour or a term-time trip will. The autumn break starts after the expected end of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr, and it includes Easter. Computed from the standard Western rule, Good Friday is 26 March, Easter Sunday is 28 March and Easter Monday is 29 March 2027. Gulf News also expects an Eid Al Adha break around 15 to 18 May 2027, which falls in Term 2 and not in a holiday.
Time difference when you book
The UAE has no daylight saving. Melbourne and Sydney are 7 hours ahead of Dubai while Australian daylight saving runs, Brisbane is 6 hours ahead and Perth is 4. Our calculation shows Melbourne and Sydney drop to 6 hours ahead after daylight saving ends on Sunday 4 April 2027. A flight time quoted in Dubai time and a flight time quoted in Melbourne time will not match, so check which one a schedule uses. Our time difference guide has the full table.
What we did not cover
We opened only the Victorian page. New South Wales and Queensland term pages returned errors when we tried, and we did not open Western Australia, South Australia or the other states. So we state no dates for them. If you live outside Victoria, take your state’s dates from your education department and use the Dubai column above as a guide.
Attraction opening hours for the break periods were not published when we checked on 31 October 2026.
Planning a trip around a break
Work from the fixed days. For the summer break, that is the Thursday students return, 28 January 2027, and the flight home before it. Your last transfer to the airport is the date you cannot move, so book it first and plan the days around it. For an example, a group of nine arriving in the week before Christmas can use one 13-seater for the airport transfers at both ends, and a separate vehicle for any day out. Your party and flights will change the sum.
If you are on a stopover rather than a holiday, our Dubai stopover tour page shows how a short stay fits. For a longer family week, see a family holiday in Dubai, and for the pushchair question, Dubai with a stroller.
Choosing the vehicle
Count passengers first and bags second. Families on a school break travel with more luggage than a business party. Our guide figures:
- Mercedes V-Class: up to 7 passengers and 6 bags.
- 13-seater HiAce: up to 13 passengers and about 10 suitcases.
- Mercedes Sprinter: up to 16 passengers and up to 12 suitcases.
- 30-seater mini coach and 50-seater coach for a school tour or a joint family party.
How a booked vehicle fits
- Send the plan. Dates, hotel area, party size, bags and the flights you must make.
- Ask for a fixed written quote. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
- Read the pick-up and drop-off arrangement. The quote states it, and we update it when notices are published.
- Agree the return time. We plan the margin and tell you what is not yet published.
- Tell us if plans change. We adjust where we can, and cannot promise to beat traffic.
Keep reading
- European school breaks vs Ramadan and Eid 2027: German, Dutch and UK holiday dates from December 2026 to April 2027 set against the expected dates of Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr and Easter in Dubai.
- School trip bus rental: Mini coaches and 50-seat coaches with a driver for class trips, fixtures and residentials, with a seat belt on every seat.
- Japan holiday windows for Dubai trips: Japanese national holidays from November 2026 to Golden Week 2027, laid against the expected dates of Ramadan and Eid in the UAE and against Dubai’s monthly heat.
- School trip bus cost: What a field trip bus costs a Dubai school, what pushes the price up, and how to turn it into a cost per pupil for the parents’ letter.
- UK school trip to Dubai: coach provider checks: Planning a school trip from England to Dubai: what the DfE guidance on educational visits asks a school to check about an outside provider, and the questions to put to any coach firm.
- Dubai Shopping Festival 2026/27 group plan: Dubai Shopping Festival runs 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. What is confirmed so far, what is not, and how a group can plan around it.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
When are the Victorian school holidays in 2026 and 2027?
The Victorian Government lists the summer break as Monday 21 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027. By our reading of the 2027 terms, the autumn break is 26 March to 11 April, winter is 26 June to 11 July and spring is 18 September to 3 October.
Does Ramadan fall in the school holidays?
Not in Victoria. Ramadan 2027 is expected from about 8 February, which is inside Term 1, subject to moon sighting. The autumn break starts after the expected end of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr.
How hot is Dubai in the winter school break?
The older long-term average daily high is 40.6 C in July and 38.8 C in June, according to the WMO page for Dubai. Those are averages, not a forecast, so check the forecast near your date.
Does Dubai Shopping Festival fall in the summer break?
Our guide lists the festival for 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027, so it overlaps most of the summer break. Check the festival’s own notices for dates.
What is the time difference between Melbourne and Dubai?
Melbourne is 7 hours ahead of Dubai while Australian daylight saving runs, and 6 hours ahead after it ends on 4 April 2027, by our calculation. Dubai has no daylight saving.
What about New South Wales or Queensland school dates?
We could not open their pages, so we state no dates for them. Take your state’s dates from its education department.
Can you meet us at the airport?
Yes, if you tell us the flight, the date and the hotel. Your written quote states the meeting arrangement for the airport, so you know it before you fly.
How do I get a price?
Ask for a fixed written quote through the booking form with the dates, hotel area, party size and bags. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
School break in Dubai, transfers set in writing.
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