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Saudi Arabia has 9 public holidays in 2026, made up of 2 fixed national days (Founding Day and Saudi National Day) and 7 Islamic religious days across the two Eids (Eid al-Fitr over three days, and Eid al-Adha over four days including Arafat Day). Below is the official list with dates, the day of the week, and what each means for payroll and leave. Public holidays are governed by the Saudi Labour Law (Royal Decree M/51 of 2005, Articles 112 to 114) and administered by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), and all Islamic dates follow the Umm Al-Qura calendar, confirmed by official moon sighting closer to the time.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Feb | Sunday | Founding Day | National |
| 20 Mar | Friday | Eid al-Fitr (start)* | Religious |
| 21 Mar | Saturday | Eid al-Fitr Holiday (Day 2)* | Religious |
| 22 Mar | Sunday | Eid al-Fitr Holiday (Day 3)* | Religious |
| 26 May | Tuesday | Arafat Day (Waqfat)* | Religious |
| 27 May | Wednesday | Eid al-Adha (start)* | Religious |
| 28 May | Thursday | Eid al-Adha Holiday (Day 2)* | Religious |
| 29 May | Friday | Eid al-Adha Holiday (Day 3)* | Religious |
| 23 Sep | Wednesday | Saudi National Day | National |
*Islamic (lunar) holiday. Dates follow the Umm Al-Qura calendar and are confirmed by official moon sighting, so they may shift by a day or two.
Note: This table shows the commonly projected private-sector schedule of 9 paid days. Founding Day (22 Feb) and Saudi National Day (23 Sep) are fixed single-day national holidays. The government sector usually receives longer Eid breaks of about 7 or more days. Saudi Arabia's weekend is Friday and Saturday, and the work week runs Sunday to Thursday, so Eid breaks often absorb adjacent weekend days. If a national holiday falls on a weekend it is compensated by the day before or after, and final Eid dates and lengths are confirmed by HRSD shortly before each holiday.
Dates may change based on official announcement.
Saudi Arabia's calendar is built around four official occasions: two fixed national days (Founding Day and Saudi National Day) and two major Eid periods, with Eid al-Fitr running for three days and Eid al-Adha for four days including Arafat Day, both often bridging into the Friday and Saturday weekend. During Eid especially, it feels like a grand celebration: people are on leave, travelling, and enjoying personal time. All of this brings changes in attendance, increased leave requests, and varied working arrangements which impact payroll accuracy and leave processes for both employers and employees.
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Saudi Arabia has 9 public holidays in 2026 across 4 official occasions: Founding Day (1 day), Eid al-Fitr (3 days), Eid al-Adha including Arafat Day (4 days) and Saudi National Day (1 day). All are fully paid under Article 112 of the Saudi Labour Law (Royal Decree M/51 of 2005). Government employees usually receive longer Eid breaks of about 7 or more days, so the total can rise above 9.
