Ramadan in the UAE for visitors: what changes and how the dates are set

The short answer

Ramadan does not have a fixed date in the UAE calendar. The UAE Government portal says it begins at the first sighting of the new crescent moon, lasts 29 or 30 days, and arrives about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year, and that the UAE follows an official announcement from the moon-sighting committee under the UAE Council for Fatwa.[1] None of the official pages XTOUR opened on 11 October 2026 gave a start date for Ramadan 2027, so this guide gives none.

For a visitor, the portal's summary is short: non-Muslims are not required to fast, shopping malls have dining areas set apart from people who are fasting, and cultural and tourist sites stay open.[1] The detail sits with individual operators, and several of them publish Ramadan timetables that differ from their usual ones. That is the part to check for the year you travel.

How the dates are set

According to the portal, the UAE's announcement comes from the moon-sighting committee under the UAE Council for Fatwa, in coordination with national institutions and monitoring centres.[1] The end of the month is set the same way. The portal's public-holidays page lists Eid Al Fitr as "from 1 to 3 Shawwal (4 days)", with a footnote that the 30th day of Ramadan becomes an Eid holiday if the month runs to 30 days, and notes that all Islamic holidays are determined by moon sighting.[2] Visit Abu Dhabi calls Eid al-Fitr a three-day festival.[4] The two pages count differently: a three-day festival on the tourism board's page, a holiday labelled four days on the federal one.

What the official pages say about eating, dress and conduct

The portal's guidance for non-Muslims is brief. It says they are not required to fast, that restaurants and food courts in shopping malls provide designated dining areas away from those who are fasting, and that many restaurants offer Iftar and Suhoor. It describes Iftar as the meal that breaks the fast and Suhoor as the meal eaten before sunrise.[1]

Visit Abu Dhabi goes further on conduct. Its Ramadan questions page says tourists are not expected to fast and can eat in restaurants (many with screened areas), at the airport and in designated areas, and asks visitors not to eat, drink or smoke in public outdoor spaces during daylight hours. The same page asks visitors to dress modestly, covering shoulders, knees and midriff in public, and to avoid offensive language, public arguments, loud music, dancing in public and public displays of affection.[4] Visit Ras Al Khaimah's cultural-awareness page puts dress differently: it says there are no official rules for visitors' attire but that visitors are expected to dress modestly.[13]

The portal does not itself list public-conduct points for visitors beyond fasting and dining.[1] XTOUR reports what each body says and does not turn it into a rule of its own. The only mosque visitor code XTOUR has read, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre's, is set out in a separate guide, mosque dress and conduct as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre states it.

Where the official pages disagree on what stays open

This is the point on which a visitor can be misled by reading only one source.

• The UAE Government portal says amusement parks, restaurants, cultural and tourist sites "remain open throughout the day". On restaurants, though, the same page also says some may adjust their hours or close during the day and open fully at Iftar.[1]
• Visit Abu Dhabi's Ramadan campaign page answers "Yes, all shopping centres, restaurants and venues operate as usual during Ramadan".[3] Its separate questions page says business hours may be reduced, and that major attractions and museums are open "often with modified or extended evening hours".[4]
• The Sharjah Museums Authority publishes separate Ramadan opening hours for Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn) and Bait Al Naboodah: a shorter daytime window from Saturday to Thursday, and closed on Fridays.[11][10] For Sharjah Maritime Museum it lists a daytime and a late-evening session, an evening-only Friday, and no evening session in the last ten days of Ramadan.[12]
• All three Sharjah Museums Authority pages say the museum is closed on the 29th and 30th of Ramadan and on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr.[12][11][10]

So "sites remain open" is true of these Sharjah museums only in the sense that they are not shut for the month; they are not open as usual, and they close entirely on the last days. XTOUR's reading is that the federal and tourism-board statements are general, and each operator's own Ramadan line is the one to plan from. XTOUR does not publish opening hours itself.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Ramadan

The mosque's operator, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, publishes a separate Ramadan visiting timetable. Its visiting-hours page splits the month: for the first 20 days it lists a daytime window and a late-evening window, and for the last 10 days only the daytime window, with a later start on Fridays throughout.[6] The Centre's Ramadan page says it continues to run cultural tours during the Ramadan visiting times,[8] and its site banner says worshippers may enter without an entry ticket while visitors pre-book and obtain an online access pass.[7]

The Centre also says the odd-numbered nights, and the 27th night in particular, usually bring a significant increase in the number of worshippers at the mosque.[9] Visit Abu Dhabi describes the Iftar cannon firing from the mosque grounds, followed by Taraweeh prayers, and says tourists can visit with adjusted hours and free guided tours that require pre-registration.[5] How the mosque's booking and tours work outside Ramadan, and where the Centre's own pages differ on whether visitors must book ahead and where they and Visit Abu Dhabi differ on fees, is covered in visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: booking and tours.

Evenings, iftar and the cannon

The portal describes several Ramadan customs a visitor may see. The Iftar cannon, Midfa Al Iftar, signals the moment the fast can be broken and, according to the portal, is fired in many regions by members of the UAE military. Charities including the Emirates Red Crescent Authority set up tents offering free Iftar meals, which the portal says are usually near mosques, in open spaces and at the entrances of some Emiratis' houses, and describes as a place to experience Emirati hospitality.[1]

In Abu Dhabi city, Visit Abu Dhabi lists Ramadan programmes at cultural sites: storytelling, poetry nights, oud performances and open majlis gatherings at Qasr Al Hosn; evening experiences at Louvre Abu Dhabi; and Ramadan Nights at the Heritage Village on the Corniche Breakwater.[5] Those descriptions are not dated to a particular year, so XTOUR treats them as what the board says has been offered, not as this year's programme.

Practical changes the portal lists

• Working hours. The portal says that under UAE labour law working hours are reduced by two hours a day for Muslim and non-Muslim employees,[1] which can affect offices a visitor deals with.
• Malls and shops. It says supermarkets and grocery shops open as usual and malls stay open until late at night.[1] Visit Abu Dhabi says most malls and shops in Abu Dhabi extend their opening hours at weekends during Ramadan.[4]
• Taxis. The portal warns that taxis can be hard to find in the evenings, as many drivers are breaking their fast, and suggests booking one in advance.[1]
• Parking. It says paid-parking hours change during Ramadan and that the meters show the timings.[1]

What XTOUR does not know

XTOUR does not know the start or end date of Ramadan 2027, which the moon-sighting committee will announce. It does not publish opening hours, ticket prices or Iftar programmes for any site, and it has not checked Ramadan arrangements for sites in Dubai or the other emirates beyond those named above. It does not describe UAE law. For planning by city, see Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the UAE country page.