Dates

When is Ramadan?

The countdown aims at the expected first day of fasting. In the UK the date is confirmed only when the new moon is sighted.

Ramadan (expected start), 2027

Monday, 8 February 2027

Rule: Umm al-Qura calendar; UK start depends on the moon sighting.

Ramadan (expected start), next years
2026Wednesday, 18 February 2026
2027Monday, 8 February 2027
2028Friday, 28 January 2028
2029Tuesday, 16 January 2029
2030Saturday, 5 January 2030
2030Thursday, 26 December 2030
2031Tuesday, 16 December 2031

Next Ramadan (expected start)

8 February 2027

Monday,

103

days

0

hours

0

min

0

sec

103 days from today (28 October 2026).

Counting from the day this page was built. Worked out on this device from your entries and its clock: nothing is sent, nothing is stored.

Add 2026 to 2035 to my calendar

Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on Monday, 8 February 2027, with the first night prayers, taraweeh, on the evening before, and Eid al-Fitr is expected on Tuesday, 9 March 2027. In 2028 the expected start is Friday, 28 January 2028; in 2026 Ramadan began on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 in Saudi Arabia and a day later in many UK mosques. These dates come from the Umm al-Qura calendar used in Saudi Arabia, which is computed in advance. In the UK the start and end of the month are usually confirmed only on the evening before, when the new crescent moon is sighted, either locally or in another country that a mosque follows, so the first day can be one day later than expected, and Eid can move too. The Islamic year is lunar, about 354 days long, so Ramadan comes about eleven days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar and moves through all the seasons in roughly 33 years. In 2030 it starts twice, in January and again in December.

Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, expected dates

First day of fasting

8 February 2027

First taraweeh prayersevening of 7 February 2027
Eid al-Fitr9 March 2027
Days of fasting29

Umm al-Qura calendar. In the UK the start can be a day later, after the moon is sighted.

Ramadan 2027 →

Rules and dates checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method

Expected dates, 2026 to 2035

Umm al-Qura calendar, as computed by ICU and published on the official Umm al-Qura site. Dates in the UK may be one day later.
YearFirst day of fastingEid al-FitrDays
2026Wednesday, 18 February 2026Friday, 20 March 202630
2027Monday, 8 February 2027Tuesday, 9 March 202729
2028Friday, 28 January 2028Saturday, 26 February 202829
2029Tuesday, 16 January 2029Wednesday, 14 February 202929
2030Saturday, 5 January 2030Monday, 4 February 203030
2030Thursday, 26 December 2030Friday, 24 January 203129
2031Tuesday, 16 December 2031Wednesday, 14 January 203229
2032Saturday, 4 December 2032Monday, 3 January 203330
2033Wednesday, 23 November 2033Friday, 23 December 203330
2034Sunday, 12 November 2034Tuesday, 12 December 203430
2035Thursday, 1 November 2035Saturday, 1 December 203530

Why the UK date is confirmed late

A month in the Islamic calendar starts when the new crescent moon is seen after sunset. Some communities rely on a calculated calendar such as Umm al-Qura, published in advance by the Saudi authorities; others follow a sighting in Saudi Arabia; others again wait for a sighting in the UK or in a nearby country such as Morocco. Since the crescent is often hard to see from the UK, local sighting can put the start a day later. As a result, mosques in the same city can begin Ramadan or celebrate Eid on different days, and each announces its decision on the evening before.

The dates on this page are therefore labelled as expected. They are the Umm al-Qura dates, which matched the Saudi start of Ramadan in 2026. They are the best way to plan weeks ahead; for the day itself, follow your mosque.

Ramadan, Lent and the clocks

In 2026 and 2027 Ramadan overlaps with Lent for several weeks. In 2027 the clocks go forward on 28 March 2027, after the expected end of Ramadan, so the fast is kept entirely in GMT. Iftar, the meal at sunset, moves later by about two minutes a day through February and March in London, and suhoor, the meal before dawn, earlier. Prayer timetables published by mosques give the exact times for each city.

At work and at school

Eid is not a bank holiday in the UK, so time off comes from annual leave or an employer's policy. Many schools allow an authorised absence for Eid. Because the exact day is only known the evening before, employers often agree leave for two possible dates. The simulator under the summary gives the expected start, Eid and the length of the month for any year, and the Ash Wednesday and Lent page gives the Christian season that falls at the same time of year until the end of the decade.

For employers and schools, the practical points are the expected dates, the late confirmation and the possibility that different staff or pupils observe different days. Planning meetings and exams away from the evening of Eid, and allowing flexible breaks around sunset during the month, are common steps.

Questions people ask

When does Ramadan 2027 start in the UK?

It is expected to start on Monday, 8 February 2027, according to the Umm al-Qura calendar. UK mosques confirm the date after the moon sighting on the evening before, and some may start a day later. Check with your local mosque for the exact first day of fasting.

When is Eid al-Fitr 2027?

It is expected on Tuesday, 9 March 2027, the first day of the month after Ramadan. As with the start, the date is confirmed by moon sighting the evening before, and UK communities can celebrate on different days. Eid is not a bank holiday in the UK, though many employers and schools allow time off.

Why does Ramadan move every year?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which follows the moon. Twelve lunar months make about 354 days, eleven fewer than a solar year, so Ramadan starts about eleven days earlier each year and cycles through every season roughly every 33 years.

How long are the fasting days in the UK?

Fasting runs from dawn to sunset, so the length depends on the season and on latitude. In February and March, when Ramadan falls in 2027 and 2028, days in London are about 11 to 13 hours. In the summer Ramadans of the 2010s they were close to 19 hours.

Related dates

Ash Wednesday and Lent

When Lent starts and ends each year, why it lasts forty days without its Sundays, and the dates of Ash Wednesday to 2035.

Clocks go forward

The last Sunday in March at 1am: the start of British Summer Time, counted down, with every date to 2035.

Days until a date

How many days, weeks and working days until any date, or since one, counted from today on your own clock.

Easter

Easter Sunday for every year to 2035, the bank holidays around it, the rule behind the date and why it moves by five weeks.

Working days calculator

Count the working days between two dates, or find the date after a number of working days, with the bank holidays of your nation.

Where these rules come from

Written by

Independent publisher of UK date tools: bank holidays for each nation, clock changes, Easter and the dates that hang on it, worked out by rule and checked against the official lists

Dates checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

UK dates 2026, checked against the GOV.UK lists and legislation.gov.uk on