National Day 2026: what to book now.
The dates are official. The public programme is not out yet. This page separates the two, shows what the authorities did last year, and explains how a visiting group can build a Dubai break around 2 and 3 December without guessing.
The dates you can rely on
The UAE government’s public holiday list gives National Day as 2 and 3 December, two days. In 2026 that is a Wednesday and a Thursday. Friday 4 December is not an official holiday, so a five-day stretch from Wednesday to Sunday only works if you take one day of leave. Do not plan around a Friday off.
There is one open question. Press reports say the Cabinet can move a holiday to the start or end of the week, and it did so in 2025, when the days were observed on Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 December. That was announced on 17 November. As of 29 October 2026 nothing has been announced for this year. Expect news around mid-November, so book hotels and flights that can bend by a day or two.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteWhat is not announced yet
The 2026 public programme is not out. That covers the fireworks sites and times, any parade, the venue of the official ceremony, and the notices from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the police. We do not print any of them as fact.
Last year the programmes appeared between 10 and 28 November. Dubai’s own calendar, as reported by the press, puts the city’s celebrations between 30 November and 3 December. Venues and times for those days are still open. The official ceremony itself is by invitation, and in the past the public has watched it on television, online and on free public screens.
So the honest planning rule is this. Book the parts that do not depend on the programme now: flights, rooms, a vehicle for the airport. Hold the parts that do, such as an evening at a fireworks site, until the notices are published.
What ran in 2025, for comparison only
These are last year’s arrangements. They show a pattern, not a 2026 timetable, and the 2026 notices may differ.
- Metro. In 2025 the RTA ran the Metro from 5am to 1am the next day on the two holiday days, and the Tram from 6am to 1am.
- Parking. In 2025 public parking was free on the holiday days, except multi-storey car parks and Al Khail Gate, with paid parking back on the day after.
- Government service centres. Customer Happiness Centres were closed, apart from the 24-hour smart centres.
- Fireworks. The press listed Dubai Festival City, Hatta, Souk Al Seef, Bluewaters, The Beach JBR and Global Village among the 2025 sites, mostly in the evening. Times varied by site. Treat that as a list of places to watch for news, not a plan.
The RTA said to check its app for bus changes, and that is still the right habit.
Public options first
For one or two people the public network is hard to beat on a holiday. The Dubai Metro, the Tram, RTA buses, taxis and app-based cars all run, and the RTA publishes holiday hours each year. Organisers of individual shows publish their own information too, including whether a site needs a ticket. Check those pages for the exact site you choose. We do not sell tickets or entry to any National Day event.
One venue is already open and has fixed holiday hours. Global Village, Season 31, runs from 14 October 2026 to May 2027. On public holidays it is open from 4pm to 1am, one hour later than on a Sunday to Wednesday. Check the park’s own site for entry and the day’s programme.
Where a private vehicle fits
We are Dubai Bus Services, a private company. We are not an official transport partner of National Day, the RTA or any venue, and we do not run any public or organiser shuttle. What we offer is a pre-booked vehicle with a driver, for a group that wants its own pick-up time.
It tends to suit a group of eight or more who would otherwise split between taxis, a family with three generations, a school or sports party, or a company team with a fixed dinner time. A Mercedes V-Class takes a small party, the 13-seater van and Mercedes Sprinter take a mid-size one, and the 30-seater mini coach and 50-seater coach take a large one.
We cannot promise a drop-off point at a celebration site before the authority names it. Where a road is closed, a private vehicle stops where the notice says it may. When the notice is out, we confirm the point and write it into your quote. Our event transport page explains how we handle that for any event.
The weeks around the holiday
National Day sits at the front of a busy stretch. The Dubai Shopping Festival opens on Friday 4 December and runs to 17 January 2027, 45 days. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend is 3 to 6 December, and GITEX Global follows from 7 to 11 December. Our Abu Dhabi Grand Prix page and the GITEX Global transport guide cover those two.
The overlap means rooms and larger vehicles go early. Our peak season guide shows how the weeks fill. If you arrive in the middle of it, the big group arrival page explains how a group is met at the airport.
Before you fly
Entry rules depend on your passport. Check the official UAE government visa page before you book. We do not give visa advice.
Read the venue rules too. Global Village, for example, asks visitors to dress modestly, bars pets and public displays of affection, and requires a permit for filming. Other places have their own. If you plan to put something on a hired vehicle for the day, ask us first, because the Ministry of Interior vehicle rules were strict in 2025.
Asking for a quote
Send the dates, the number of people, the hotel and the airport legs. Say which evening you want free, and we will hold it open until the official notices appear. We reply with a fixed written quote before you accept. Use the booking page. For the arrival day itself, the airport transfer page explains the pick-up.
Keep reading
- Decorating a hired bus for National Day: Why a visiting group cannot put its own flag, banner or stickers on a hired coach during UAE National Day, and what the 2025 Ministry of Interior rules covered.
- Global Village on National Day: Global Village hours on the 2 and 3 December holiday, the RTA bus routes, parking zones, approximate drive times and how a group plans the evening.
- 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.
- GITEX Global 2026 transport guide: Which GITEX Global 2026 venue on which day, how the Metro and the organiser’s shuttles work, and where a private pre-booked vehicle fits.
- GITEX 2026 for US, UK and EU delegates: Flying in for GITEX Global 2026 from the USA, UK or Europe: the time difference, which airport, where to stay, the Metro and shuttles, and where a driver fits.
- Family holiday in Dubai: A family week in Dubai: which days a van with a driver earns its place, which days taxis or the Metro are fine, and a simple way to work out the cost.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
When is UAE National Day in 2026?
The official public holiday is Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026. The government has not announced any move as of 29 October. Press reports expect any change to be announced around mid-November.
Is Friday 4 December a holiday?
No. It is a normal working day. A long break from Wednesday to Sunday needs one day of leave on the Friday.
Where are the National Day fireworks in 2026?
Not announced yet. In 2025 the sites included Dubai Festival City, Hatta, Bluewaters, The Beach JBR and Global Village. Check the official 2026 announcements before you plan an evening.
Will the Metro run late on National Day?
The 2026 hours are not published. In 2025 the RTA ran it from 5am to 1am on the holiday days. Check the RTA announcement nearer the date.
Is Global Village open on National Day?
Yes, Season 31 is open and the park lists 4pm to 1am on public holidays. See the park’s own site for entry. We do not sell tickets.
Do you run an official National Day shuttle?
No. We are a private company, not an appointed transport partner. Our vehicles are booked separately and by prior arrangement.
Can we put our own flag on the coach?
No. The 2025 vehicle rules allowed only the UAE flag and approved stickers. The 2026 rules are not out yet. Ask us before you add anything to the vehicle.
How much does a vehicle cost?
Ask for a fixed written quote. It depends on the date, the group size and the route, and we put it in writing before you accept.
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