UAE National Day falls on Wednesday, 2 December 2026, with Thursday, 3 December also a public holiday. White Friday comes five days earlier, on 27 November, so the UAE National Day sale 2026 and the White Friday deals land in the same stretch of shopping.
If you're wondering whether to buy now, on White Friday, or hold out for the long weekend, the answer depends on what's in your cart. Below are the dates, our honest take on timing, and the codes we have for UAE stores that you can add on top of the sale price.
What is the National Day sale?
There's no single official sale. National Day, also called Eid Al Etihad, marks the day the emirates came together in 1971, and a lot of stores, malls and apps run their own promotions around it. Some give a flat discount for a few days, some run a holiday section in their app, and some just keep their White Friday prices going a bit longer.
You'll see it online and in malls. Online it usually shows up as an app banner or a "National Day" section; in malls it's posters in shop windows. Nothing to sign up for.
When is the UAE National Day sale 2026?
The holiday itself is Wednesday, 2 December 2026 and Thursday, 3 December 2026. The sales don't stick to those two days. National Day promotions announced in past years have tended to start in the last week of November and finish in the first week of December, and they differ from one store to the next.
Here's how the weeks line up this year:
- Friday, 27 November 2026: White Friday.
- Monday, 30 November 2026: Cyber Monday, when a lot of electronics deals get a second round.
- Wednesday, 2 December and Thursday, 3 December: the National Day holiday.
If you're planning a trip rather than shopping, count it out on the calendar. With Wednesday and Thursday off, three days of annual leave (Monday 30 November, Tuesday 1 December and Friday 4 December) join the two weekends into nine days, from Saturday, 28 November to Sunday, 6 December. That's worth knowing before flight prices for those dates climb.
White Friday or National Day: when should you buy?
Our honest take: for phones, laptops, TVs and big appliances, White Friday and Cyber Monday are usually where the deepest cuts are. If you see a good price on 27 November, don't wait for National Day hoping for more.
For clothes, shoes, perfume and gifts, it's less clear. National Day promotions often cover the same categories, and some stores add a little extra for the holiday. Put what you want in your wishlist now, note the price, and check again on 2 December. If it's the same or lower, buy. If it's gone up, you've learnt something about that store.
And if you're buying red, green, white and black outfits for a school or office celebration, don't leave it to the week itself. Kids' sizes in those colours are the first thing to go.
There's more on the 27th in our White Friday guide for the UAE.
Where to shop the National Day sale
These are stores we have live codes for in the UAE. Tap Show code on a card, copy it and paste it at checkout. The card says who the code is for and what it covers.
Fashion and National Day outfits
Namshi has a cashback code on your whole order, which makes it an easy place to start for National Day outfits. Styli works best in its app, and its code gives new users more off than returning ones.
Copies automatically · opens the store
Copies automatically · opens the store
Plenty of codes only cover full-price items, which is a problem in sale season. Two here don't: Bloomingdale's has one that goes on top of its fashion sale, and H&M has one that covers both sale and full-price items.
Copies automatically · opens the store
Copies automatically · opens the store
Sportswear for the long weekend
Cooler weather and two days off is when a lot of people start running or hiking again. Adidas has a code for your whole order, Sun & Sands carries several sports brands under one roof, and Squat Wolf has a code for gym wear.
Copies automatically · opens the store
Copies automatically · opens the store
Copies automatically · opens the store
Road trips and travel
Plenty of families drive to the mountains or the east coast over the long weekend. EZ Hire has separate codes for one-day, one-week and one-month rentals, so pick the card that matches how long you need the car.
Copies automatically · opens the store
Copies automatically · opens the store
Flying out instead? An eSIM from Airalo gets you mobile data when you land without hunting for a SIM at the airport.
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Perfume and gifts
If you're visiting family over the holiday, oud and Arabic perfume are the safe gift. Deraah and Al Dakheel Oud both have codes on your order.
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Copies automatically · opens the store
Kids
Mumzworld covers nappies, toys and car seats, and its code has a cap shown on the card. Dabdoob is mostly toys and games, handy if you need something to keep them busy over five days at home.
Copies automatically · opens the store
Copies automatically · opens the store
noon for everything else
noon is the easy one-stop shop. The first code is cashback for people who've never ordered on noon, the second is for existing customers. Cashback comes back to you after the order; it doesn't cut the price at checkout. For a refurbished phone or laptop, Cartlow has its own code.
Copies automatically · opens the store
Copies automatically · opens the store
Copies automatically · opens the store
How to use a code
Fill your cart first, then copy the code from the card. At checkout, find the box marked "promo code", "coupon" or "voucher", paste it and tap apply. Check the total before you pay.
When a code won't apply, it's nearly always one of three things: it's for new customers and you've ordered before, your items are already reduced and the code only covers full price, or the cart is under the minimum. The card's terms tell you which.
Before you shop
Check the delivery date before you pay. Orders placed on the eve of a public holiday can take an extra day or two, so if the outfit is for a school event the day before the holiday, order it the week before.
Read the return policy on sale items. Some stores shorten the window, and that matters for clothes you're buying in a hurry.
Don't top up a cart to hit a minimum with things you don't need. If you're only a few dirhams short, a cheaper item you'd buy anyway is fine; a random extra isn't.
Keep some budget back. Between White Friday, Cyber Monday and National Day, there are three good chances to buy in one week.
Not shopping this weekend?
The codes stay on each store's page after the holiday. Browse all UAE stores or see today's best offers. Reading this before 11 November? Our 11.11 sale guide covers the first sale of the season.
FAQ
In recent years the private sector has been given the same days as government staff, announced a few weeks ahead. If your employer hasn't confirmed it yet, wait for the official announcement before booking anything non-refundable.
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