UAE National Day 2026

About UAE National Day

UAE National Day, officially Eid Al Etihad, marks 2 December 1971, when six emirates joined to form the United Arab Emirates; Ras Al Khaimah joined weeks later. In 2026 it falls on Wednesday, 2 December 2026, with public holidays on 2 and 3 December. Residents celebrate with flags, fireworks, family outings and green, white, black and red everywhere.

On 2 December 1971, the rulers of six emirates, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah, met at a beachside house in Dubai and signed the agreement that created the United Arab Emirates. The same day the new flag went up. Ras Al Khaimah joined on 10 February 1972, making seven. National Day marks that union, and 2026 is its 55th anniversary.

In recent years the day has officially been called Eid Al Etihad, the Union Festival, in Arabic عيد الاتحاد. Most people still say National Day, and both are correct.

How seven emirates became one

Until 1971 the emirates were the Trucial States, bound by treaties with Britain, which handled their defence and foreign affairs. When Britain announced in January 1968 that it would leave the Gulf, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum of Dubai met in the desert at Argoub Al Sedirah, a month later, and agreed in principle to unite. Talks with the other rulers took more than three years.

Sheikh Zayed became the first President and is remembered as the founding father, often simply as Baba Zayed. Sheikh Rashid became Vice President and later Prime Minister.

The house where the agreement was signed, Union House on Jumeirah Road in Dubai, is now the Etihad Museum. Its building, opened in 2017, is shaped like a manuscript, with seven columns that recall the pens used to sign, and its galleries cover the years 1968 to 1974.

The flag and the days around it

The flag was designed by Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, who was 19 at the time. It has three horizontal stripes of green, white and black, with a red bar along the side next to the pole. The colours are usually read as growth, peace, dignity and the sacrifices made for the nation.

The flag gets its own day, Flag Day on 3 November, when offices, schools and homes raise it together. Commemoration Day, on 30 November, remembers Emirati soldiers and others who died in service, beginning with Salem Suhail bin Khamis, a policeman killed on Greater Tunb island on 30 November 1971. Flags fly at half-mast in the morning and the country keeps a minute's silence. It is a sombre day, two days before the celebrations, so keep National Day greetings for 2 December.

How the day is celebrated

1. Late November
   Getting ready

   Buildings, malls and streets put up lights and flags. Schools hold National Day assemblies, often with children in traditional dress.

2. 30 November · Commemoration Day
   Remembering the fallen

   A minute's silence and flags at half-mast before the celebrations begin.

3. 2 December
   The main day

   The official Eid Al Etihad show, broadcast on television; fireworks in Downtown Dubai, on the Abu Dhabi Corniche and across the country; displays by the air force's aerobatic team; heritage events with Emirati music, falconry and food.

4. 3 December
   The second holiday

   Family outings, parks and beaches, and the long weekend when the dates allow.

People wear flag scarves, dress cars and homes in the four colours, and post photos of the founding fathers. Car decorations are allowed only within rules the police announce each year, which usually ban covering number plates or windows, blocking the driver's view, offensive stickers and overloaded cars. Read your emirate's police rules before you decorate.

Workplaces often hold a celebration in the days before, with traditional food such as luqaimat, sweet dumplings with date syrup, and harees or machboos for lunch.

The Indian community and National Day

India's foreign ministry counted more than 4.3 million Indians in the UAE in January 2026, the largest community in the country. Many families have lived there for two or three generations, and plenty of Indians born in Dubai or Sharjah think of it as home. Indian schools, businesses and associations join in fully: flag-raisings, children's performances, decorated shops and greetings to Emirati colleagues and neighbours.

If you are in India and have family in the UAE, 2 and 3 December are holidays there, so it is a good time to call. Colleagues in the UAE will usually be off on both days.

What to write

How to wish someone on UAE National Day

A UAE National Day wish congratulates the country and the people who call it home, Emirati or not. \"Happy National Day\" or \"Happy Eid Al Etihad\" works in English; \"Kul aam wal Emarat bi khair\" is a warm Arabic line. Mention the union, the flag or the years someone has lived there. Keep it positive and respectful, and leave politics and jokes about the rulers out.

Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.

Language tip: English, Arabic + Malayalam or Hindi.

When is UAE National Day in 2026 and 2027?

UAE National Day is on 2 Dec every year. Only the weekday changes.

• 2026Wednesday 2 Dec
• 2027Thursday 2 Dec

Frequently asked questions