Saudi Arabia’s public holidays affect work schedules, schools, travel prices, appointments, deliveries, and family visits. This guide explains the recurring holiday pattern, what to confirm each year, and how expats and families can plan leave without relying on dates that may later change.
Overview
The Saudi holiday calendar combines fixed Gregorian dates with Islamic occasions based on the Hijri calendar. Fixed-date occasions are easier to place in your annual plan, while Ramadan and the two Eids move earlier in the Gregorian calendar each year. Their final dates and holiday durations should be confirmed through official announcements and your employer or school.
The main annual occasions to monitor are:
| Occasion | Usual calendar pattern | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Founding Day | 22 February each year | Whether the applicable holiday creates a long weekend and how your workplace or school will observe it |
| Saudi National Day | 23 September each year | Official holiday arrangements, adjusted working days, and closures around the date |
| Eid al-Fitr | At the end of Ramadan | The expected start of the holiday, the confirmed Shawwal date, and the duration for your sector |
| Arafat Day and Eid al-Adha | During Dhu al-Hijjah | The official dates, workplace leave rules, and any Hajj-related travel or access arrangements |
Other religious or institutional observances may appear on calendars without being public holidays for every worker. Do not assume that a date shown in an international calendar means government offices, private companies, banks, schools, or attractions will all close. Your employment contract, school calendar, and official announcements remain the practical reference points.
What to track
1. The official date and holiday duration
Begin with the announced holiday dates, then check whether the announcement applies to the public sector, private sector, schools, or a specific category of employee. A holiday may be extended by an official decision, connected to a weekend, or handled differently by an employer’s internal calendar. Keep the announcement or HR message with your planning documents.
2. Moon-sighting and announcement uncertainty
Islamic holidays are linked to the Hijri calendar, and some dates depend on official confirmation. Treat published Gregorian estimates as planning windows rather than final appointments. Avoid booking a non-refundable trip, medical procedure, visa-related appointment, or important business deadline on the assumption that an estimated Eid date is final.
3. School calendars and childcare
Families should track the school’s academic calendar separately from the national holiday calendar. International, private, and public schools may have different term dates, examination periods, teacher-training days, and breaks. Before booking a family visit, confirm the child’s last school day, return date, examination schedule, and transport arrangements.
4. Business and service availability
Check the opening arrangements for banks, government counters, courier services, clinics, embassies, property offices, and your building’s management team. Online services may remain available while in-person processing pauses. If you are handling an iqama renewal, document submission, or other time-sensitive matter, start early; the Saudi Iqama Renewal Guide can help you organize the process.
5. Transport, accommodation, and attractions
Holiday periods can change demand for flights, intercity trains, hotels, furnished apartments, car rentals, restaurants, and popular attractions. Confirm operating hours rather than relying on a normal weekday schedule. For domestic trips, compare the expected traffic and weather conditions with the holiday calendar; seasonal planning guidance is available in Things to Do in Saudi Arabia by Season.
Cadence and checkpoints
A simple tracking routine is more reliable than checking the calendar only when you need time off.
- At the start of the year: Add the fixed-date occasions to your personal, work, and school calendars. Mark Islamic holiday periods as provisional windows.
- Before Ramadan: Review working hours, school arrangements, meal and transport routines, appointment availability, and likely changes to attraction or shop schedules. Recheck any planned weekend trips, including weekend trips from Riyadh or weekend trips from Jeddah.
- Four to eight weeks before each major holiday: Ask HR about leave approval, payroll cutoffs, office closure dates, and return-to-work expectations. Families should confirm school attendance and childcare.
- When an official announcement is issued: Replace estimated dates with confirmed dates, then update flights, accommodation, appointments, deliveries, and leave requests.
- After the holiday: Record what was closed, delayed, crowded, or unexpectedly available. These notes make next year’s planning easier.
Leave planning is also a workplace conversation. Review your contract and company policy, submit requests early, and leave enough flexibility for a one-day change around a Hijri holiday. If you are changing jobs or joining a new employer, include holiday leave rules among the questions you ask about the offer; see Saudi Arabia Jobs for Expats: How to Evaluate an Offer.
How to interpret changes
A change to one date can affect several parts of a plan. If an Eid date moves, check the departure date, hotel night, airport transfer, school absence, return-to-work day, and appointment separately. Do not update only the calendar entry and assume every reservation will adjust automatically.
Also distinguish between a public holiday and a reduced-hours period. Ramadan may affect daily routines and service hours even when a business is not closed. During Eid, offices may close while hotels, restaurants, shopping centres, and attractions operate on special schedules. In smaller cities or residential areas, availability may differ from central districts.
Local customs matter as well as official dates. Read Saudi Etiquette for Foreigners before attending a family gathering or visiting someone during Ramadan or Eid. Dress and public-behaviour guidance can also be reviewed in the Saudi Arabia Dress Code Guide for Foreigners.
When to revisit the calendar
Revisit this guide at least quarterly, and always before Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Founding Day, and Saudi National Day. A practical update checklist is:
- Confirm the year’s official holiday announcements.
- Check your employer’s holiday and leave policy.
- Compare school calendars for every child.
- Review government, banking, healthcare, transport, and courier availability.
- Recheck flight, hotel, attraction, and road-trip conditions before paying.
- Update family members and visitors whose travel depends on your schedule.
For visitors arriving during a busy period, arrange connectivity and essential logistics in advance. The guide to SIM cards in Saudi Arabia is useful when preparing a family visit or domestic trip. Keep your final plan flexible until the relevant authority, employer, or school confirms the dates. That habit is the safest way to manage Saudi public holidays while living, working, or travelling in the Kingdom.
