Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, is the second of the two great Eids and a major public holiday across the Muslim world. In 2026 it is expected in late May, but as with all lunar observances, the exact dates await the official moon-sighting announcement. Here is what we know so far.
What Eid al-Adha commemorates
Eid al-Adha honours the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son in obedience to God, commemorated by the sacrifice of an animal and the distribution of meat to family, neighbours, and the poor. It coincides with the Hajj pilgrimage: the Day of Arafat, when pilgrims gather on the plain of Arafat near Mecca, falls the day before Eid. The festival lasts up to four days in many countries, making it one of the longest public holiday stretches of the Islamic year. It is a time of prayer, feasting, charity, and family gatherings.
Expected dates for 2026
The provisional 2026 dates centre on late May. Pakistan’s official calendar tentatively lists Eid-ul-Azha from May 27 to 29, with May 28 also marking Youm-e-Takbeer. India’s gazetted list places Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) on May 28, 2026. The UAE provisionally expects Arafat Day on May 26 with Eid Al Adha from May 27 to 29, and Saudi Arabia follows the same pattern: Arafat Day around May 26, Eid al-Adha around May 27 to 29. As always, these are expected dates, and a shift of a day in either direction is possible until the crescent of Dhul-Hijjah is sighted.
Why the dates move each year
Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Because the lunar year is roughly 11 days shorter than the solar year, the festival arrives about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year. A decade ago it fell in September; in 2026 it falls in May; within a few more years it will cycle into spring and then winter. This drift is also why the Hajj pilgrimage, and with it the Saudi summer heat experienced by pilgrims, varies so much from year to year. The lunar rhythm is the whole reason Eid dates can never be permanently fixed.
Planning around Eid al-Adha 2026
The Eid al-Adha period is one of the year’s peak travel windows in the Gulf and South Asia, so book transport and accommodation well ahead if you plan to move during May 26 to 29, 2026. Government offices and banks close for multiple days in Pakistan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, while in India the gazetted holiday is observed on May 28. Livestock markets, a beloved tradition in the run-up to the festival, are worth experiencing respectfully if you are in the region. And the usual rule applies: confirm the final dates with official announcements on the eve of Dhul-Hijjah before treating any plan as fixed.
The Hajj connection in 2026
Eid al-Adha cannot be understood without the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that peaks in the days before the festival. In 2026, with Arafat Day expected around May 26, more than a million pilgrims will gather on the plain of Arafat in what is among the largest annual human gatherings on Earth. Saudi Arabia declares extended holidays around the pilgrimage, and the whole Kingdom orients itself around hosting the pilgrims. For the rest of the Muslim world, the connection is spiritual rather than logistical: the Eid prayers echo the pilgrims’ rites, and the festival sacrifice recalls the same story. Travellers should know that Mecca and Medina are closed to non-Muslims year-round, and during Hajj season the entire region’s transport and accommodation revolve around the pilgrimage.