Four dates · Sports Day · Calendar · The two Eids · National Day · What closes · Dates that fool everyone · FAQs
If you employ staff in Qatar, or you work there yourself, four dates shape your year. Not seven, like the UAE. Not ten, like Saudi Arabia. Four.
This list of public holidays in Qatar covers every official occasion for 2026 and 2027 in one place, with the dates, the days off and the long breaks. It is written for employers, HR teams, expats and anyone planning work around Doha’s calendar.
The trick with Qatar is not the number of holidays. It is that two calendars run side by side: the government break and the private sector minimum. The same Eid can mean seven days for a ministry employee and three days for a private sector colleague. This guide keeps those two calendars apart, so you never plan from the wrong one.
One caution before you plan: Islamic dates follow the moon sighting and are confirmed by official announcements closer to each occasion. Dates marked expected for 2027 are forecasts and may move by a day.
Qatar’s year in four dates
That is the whole system. Four occasions, no more. Everything else on this page explains how long each one lasts for your sector, and what to do when a holiday lands on a weekend.
2026 dates
| Holiday | Date | Day | Days off | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Sports Day | 10 February | Tuesday | 1 day | National |
| Eid Al Fitr | 20 to 22 March | Friday to Sunday | 3 days | Religious |
| Eid Al Adha | 27 to 29 May | Wednesday to Friday | 3 days | Religious |
| Qatar National Day | 18 December | Friday | 1 day | National |
Counting it up: the core days add up to eight in 2026. One for Sports Day, three at each Eid, one for National Day. Government staff get more, because the Eid windows run longer than the core days.
2027 dates, expected
| Holiday | Date | Day | Days off | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Sports Day | 9 February | Tuesday | 1 day | National |
| Eid Al Fitr | 9 to 11 March expected | To be confirmed | 3 days expected | Religious |
| Eid Al Adha | 15 to 17 May expected | To be confirmed | 3 days expected | Religious |
| Qatar National Day | 18 December | Saturday | 1 day | National |
2027 dates are forecasts based on the fixed rules and the lunar calendar. Sports Day and National Day are fixed, so those dates are certain. The exact Eid days follow the moon sighting and the official announcements.
The one holiday no other country has
National Sports Day
National Sports Day is the holiday that makes Qatar’s calendar different from every other Gulf calendar. It was created by Emiri decision in 2011, first held in 2012, and it runs every year on the second Tuesday of February. The aim is simple: get the whole country moving for one day.
On the day, government offices, companies, schools, parks, beaches and malls all run activities. Expect fun runs, football matches, cycling rides, yoga sessions, beach workouts and family competitions. The Corniche fills up, sports clubs open their doors, and many employers organise team activities for their own staff.
It is a real day off, but it is not a stay at home day. Offices close so that staff can take part, and the busiest places in Doha on Sports Day are the parks, the beaches and the Corniche, not the malls. If you are new to Qatar, treat it as the best possible introduction to the city.
In 2026 it falls on Tuesday 10 February. One leave day on Monday 9 February gives you four days off, Saturday to Tuesday, with the weekend running into the holiday.
Qatar holiday calendar 2026
The calendar below marks every core holiday day in 2026. Click any maroon date to see the occasion. Fridays and Saturdays are shaded as weekends, since the Qatar workweek runs Sunday to Thursday.
Public holiday Weekend (Friday and Saturday) Today
The two Eids, and why the dates look different everywhere
Search for Qatar Eid dates and you will find three different answers for the same Eid. All three can be right, because they describe three different groups: private sector staff, government staff, and banks. The Amiri Diwan announces the government break, the Ministry of Labour announces the private sector dates, and the Qatar Central Bank governor sets the bank dates.
| Occasion | Private sector | Government | Banks |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Sports Day 2026 | Tue 10 Feb, 1 day | Tue 10 Feb, 1 day | Set by the Qatar Central Bank governor |
| Eid Al Fitr 2026 | 3 paid working days, Fri 20 to Sun 22 Mar | Tue 17 to Mon 23 Mar, 7 days | Set by the Qatar Central Bank governor |
| Eid Al Adha 2026 | 3 paid working days, Wed 27 to Fri 29 May | Tue 26 to Sat 30 May, 5 days | Set by the Qatar Central Bank governor |
| Qatar National Day 2026 | Fri 18 Dec, 1 day, day in lieu generally owed | Fri 18 Dec, 1 day | Fri 18 Dec, 1 day |
The rule to remember: the private sector minimum is three paid working days at each Eid. The government window is longer. Your contract and your company policy decide where between those two your own break falls.
Eid Al Fitr
Eid Al Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and the first days of Shawwal. It is the biggest family holiday of the year: morning prayers, visits to relatives, shared meals, sweets, and Eidiya, the gifts elders give children.
In 2026 the core Eid days run from Friday 20 March to Sunday 22 March, Shawwal 1 to 3. The government break runs longer, from Tuesday 17 March to Monday 23 March, seven days in total. Eid day itself falls on Friday 20 March, which is also a weekend day, so the break blends straight into the weekend.
Shops, malls and entertainment venues stay busy through Eid, while government offices close for the full window. If you move money around Eid, plan to the bank dates, not the office dates, since banks follow their own notice.
Eid Al Adha
Eid Al Adha is the Festival of Sacrifice, marking the story of Ibrahim. It is observed with morning prayers, family gatherings, Qurbani, the sharing of sacrificial meat with relatives and people in need, and Eidiya for children.
In 2026 the core Eid days run from Wednesday 27 May to Friday 29 May. The government break runs from Tuesday 26 May, Arafat Day, to Saturday 30 May, five days in total, and work resumes on Sunday 31 May. Note that Arafat Day sits inside the government break only. It is not a standalone private sector holiday.
Eid Al Adha is the most popular window for longer trips out of Doha, because the break runs into the weekend. Book flights and hotels early, since fares climb fast around both Eids.
National Day on 18 December
Qatar National Day
Qatar National Day marks the unification of the country in 1878 under Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, the founder of the modern state. It is also known as Founder's Day, and it is the most visible celebration of the year.
The Corniche hosts the parade, with fireworks, aerial displays, traditional performances and cultural exhibitions across Doha. Buildings are dressed in maroon and white, and Katara Cultural Village runs heritage events through the week.
In 2026 National Day falls on Friday 18 December, a weekend day. The celebrations still happen on the day, and private sector staff are generally owed a day in lieu. If your employer moves the day in lieu to Thursday 17 December, pair it with a leave day on Sunday 20 December for four days off, Thursday to Sunday.
The same weekend problem returns in 2027, when National Day falls on Saturday 18 December. Two years in a row, the biggest day on the calendar lands on a weekend.
Working in Qatar: what actually closes
The Qatar weekend is Friday and Saturday, and the workweek runs Sunday to Thursday. Sunday is a working day, and that is the single most common mistake newcomers make. If you schedule meetings from a Monday to Friday mindset, you will book over working Sundays and miss working Thursdays.
On a public holiday, government offices, ministries and banks close. Malls, restaurants, hotels and attractions mostly stay open, and are often busier than usual, especially at Eid and on National Day. Banks follow the notice from the Qatar Central Bank governor, so check your bank's own announcement around each Eid rather than assuming it matches the government window.
Staff who work on a public holiday are owed a substitute paid day off, or their normal wage plus at least 50 percent extra pay for the hours worked. Sectors like hospitality, healthcare and retail keep running through holidays, and the rule is there to make sure that time is paid for.
During Ramadan, working hours are shortened, but Ramadan itself is not a holiday. Plan for slower response times rather than closed offices. School holidays follow the education calendar and do not always line up with public holidays, so check the school calendar separately when planning family leave.
Dates that fool everyone
These dates fool even careful planners. They appear in roundups, they trend on social media, and they still do not give most staff a day off.
New Year's Day, Thursday 1 January 2026. New Year's Day is widely observed, and banks and many offices close for it. But it is not a universal statutory paid holiday for all private sector staff under Qatar Labour Law. Check your contract before counting on it.
Islamic New Year, around Tuesday 16 June 2026. The Hijri New Year is not one of the four statutory occasions in Qatar. It does not give private sector staff a day off.
Prophet's Birthday. The Prophet's Birthday is not a statutory public holiday in Qatar, even though some regional roundups list it. It does not appear in the Qatar holiday list.
Arafat Day on its own. Arafat Day, Tuesday 26 May 2026, sits inside the government Eid Al Adha window. It is not a standalone private sector holiday, so private staff should not count it as an extra day.
Ramadan working hours. During Ramadan, working hours are shortened, but Ramadan itself is not a holiday. Plan for slower response times rather than closed offices.
School holidays. School breaks follow the education calendar and do not always line up with public holidays. Check the school calendar separately when planning family leave.
March bank holiday, first Sunday in March. The first Sunday in March is a bank holiday for financial institutions in Qatar. It is not a general public holiday, so most staff do not get the day off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Qatar have a National Sports Day?
National Sports Day exists because Qatar decided, by Emiri decision in 2011, that one working day a year should belong to sport. The first one was held in 2012, and it has run every second Tuesday of February since. The aim is simple: get the whole country moving. Government offices, companies, schools, parks, beaches and malls all run activities, from fun runs and football to yoga and cycling. No other country has a public holiday quite like it, which is why it leads this guide.
National Day falls on a Friday in 2026. Do I still get the day off?
Yes, in effect. Qatar National Day on Friday 18 December 2026 is a weekend day, and private sector staff are generally owed a day in lieu when a statutory holiday lands on a Friday or Saturday. The same happens in 2027, when National Day falls on Saturday 18 December. Check your contract or ask HR which day your employer gives in place, because the replacement day is set by company policy, not by the holiday announcement itself.
Are Qatar's Eid dates the same as Saudi Arabia's?
The core Eid days matched in 2026, with Eid Al Fitr on Friday 20 March and Eid Al Adha on Wednesday 27 May in both countries. But the windows around them differ, and that is where planning goes wrong. Qatar's government closed for seven days at Eid Al Fitr and five at Eid Al Adha, while Saudi Arabia's private break ran four days at each Eid. Each country announces its own dates after its own moon sighting, so never assume one Gulf calendar covers the other. See our Saudi Arabia holidays guide for the Saudi dates side by side.
Why does my government colleague get a week at Eid while I get three days?
Because you work to two different calendars. The Amiri Diwan sets the government break, and in 2026 it gave seven days at Eid Al Fitr and five at Eid Al Adha. The Labour Law minimum for private sector staff is three paid working days at each Eid. Many private firms match the government window or offer a longer break to keep teams happy, so your actual break may be longer than the minimum. Your contract and your company policy decide it.
I work on a public holiday. What am I owed?
Under Qatar Labour Law, staff who work on an official holiday must be compensated in the same way as staff working on a paid weekend day. In practice that means a substitute paid day off, or your normal wage plus at least 50 percent extra pay for the hours worked. Sectors like hospitality, healthcare and retail often keep running through holidays, and the rule is there to make sure that time is paid for.
When are Qatar's 2027 holidays?
National Sports Day is fixed by rule, so it is already certain: Tuesday 9 February 2027. The Eids are expected from 9 to 11 March and from 15 to 17 May, but those dates follow the moon sighting and will be confirmed closer to each occasion. National Day is fixed too, on Saturday 18 December 2027, which is a weekend day again, so expect the same day in lieu question as in 2026.
This article will be updated when the Amiri Diwan and the Ministry of Labour confirm the 2027 dates. Check the official announcements before booking travel around either Eid.
