Free parking in Dubai for Eid Al Fitr

Charges will be waived from Monday to mark the religious festival

Public parking charges will be lifted in Dubai for the Eid Al Fitr holiday. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Dubai has announced free public parking in celebration of the Eid Al Fitr holiday.

The emirate's Roads and Transport Authority confirmed all charges – bar multistorey parking areas – would be waived from Monday until the third day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar.

The start of Shawwal will be determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, which will mark the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid festival.

The UAE's moon-sighting committee is expected to gather on Monday.

If the moon is spotted, Monday will be the 29th and final day of Ramadan, this means the third day of Shawwal would be on Thursday.

If the moon is not sighted, the holy month is observed for 30 days, meaning the third day of Shawwal will be on Friday.

Parking tariffs will resume on the fourth day of Shawwal, which will either be Friday or Saturday.

Dubai Metro timings

The RTA also announced the Eid holiday schedule for the Dubai Metro and Dubai Tram.

The Dubai Metro will run from 5am on Saturday, April 6, until 1am on Sunday and from 8am on Sunday, April 7, until 1am on Monday.

The Metro will then operate between 5am and 1am the following day, from Monday, April 8, until Saturday, April 13. It will run from 8am to midnight on Sunday, April 14.

The Dubai Tram will take to the tracks from 6am until 1am, Monday to Saturday, and will run from 9am on Sunday, April 14, until 1am the following day.

Eid public holiday

Private sector workers will enjoy paid leave from Monday, April 8 until the third day of Shawwal, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation announced.

The UAE Cabinet directed that federal government staff would be granted paid leave from Monday, April 8, until Sunday, April 14. Work will resume on Monday, April 15.