In this article
Key takeaways
- Ramadan 1448 is expected around 8 February 2027, Eid al-Fitr on 9 or 10 March, Eid al-Adha around 17 May; White Friday 2027 falls on Friday 26 November.
- National days: Kuwait 25 and 26 February, Saudi Arabia 23 September (and Founding Day 22 February), Oman 18 November (holiday 20 and 21), the UAE 2 December, Bahrain 16 December, Qatar 18 December.
- Start ads four to six weeks before Ramadan, at least two weeks before White Friday for testing, and for each national day on its own row in the table (one to three weeks before).
- The first quarter (January to March) is the busiest: Ramadan, Founding Day, Kuwait's national days and Eid al-Fitr within ten weeks.
The full 2027 calendar
| Season | Date | Start ads | Categories it favours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramadan 1448 | Around 8 February 2027 (expected) | Early January 2027 | Dates, coffee, hosting, abayas, perfumes, home |
| Saudi Founding Day | 22 February | Early February | Broad offers, heritage fashion |
| Kuwait National and Liberation Days | 25 and 26 February | Mid-February | General offers in Kuwait |
| Eid al-Fitr | 9 or 10 March 2027 (expected) | Mid-Ramadan | Clothing, gifts, perfumes, sweets |
| Eid al-Adha | Around 17 May 2027 (expected) | Late April | Clothing, gifts, hosting supplies |
| Summer and travel | June to August | May | Travel, electronics, kids' supplies |
| Back to school | Late August (a general season) | Early August | Bags, stationery, electronics |
| Saudi National Day | 23 September | Early September | Broad offers in every category |
| 11.11 | 11 November | Early November | Electronics and beauty |
| Oman National Day | 18 November (holiday 20 and 21 November) | Mid-November | General offers in Oman |
| White Friday | Friday 26 November 2027 | Mid-November (testing in October) | Electronics, perfumes, beauty, fashion |
| UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | 2 December | Late November | General offers in the UAE |
| Bahrain National Day | 16 December | Early December | General offers in Bahrain |
| Qatar National Day | 18 December | Early December | General offers in Qatar |
National days and White Friday are fixed dates; Ramadan and the Eids are astronomical estimates decided by the moon sighting, so watch the official announcement a few days before each. The current 2026–2027 calendar with each season explained is in Gulf ad seasons.
January to March: Ramadan among the national occasions
The busiest quarter of the year. If Ramadan starts around 8 February as expected, Saudi Founding Day (22 February) and Kuwait's national days (25 and 26 February) fall inside the month, followed by Eid al-Fitr on 9 or 10 March. What that means:
- Ramadan ads start in early January: preparation four to six weeks before the month: dates and coffee, hosting tools, home refresh and abayas. A discount appears today in 42% of food, coffee and dates ads and in 32% of abaya ads: categories that sell on the occasion more than on the discount.
- National offers in a Ramadan tone: hospitality and family, not loud celebrations, and target only the celebrating country.
- The last ten days are Eid shopping: clothing, perfumes, gifts and sweets, with ads from mid-Ramadan and pressure to deliver before Eid.
The weekly plan from January to Eid is in Ramadan 2027 ads.
April to June: Eid al-Adha and summer
- Eid al-Adha around 17 May: ads from late April, and nearly the same categories as Eid al-Fitr: clothing, gifts and hosting supplies. A second test of the gift offers that worked in March.
- Summer and travel from June: ads start in May: travel, electronics and kids' supplies. Electronics is among the most discounted categories in the Gulf (58% of its ads mention a discount), and kids and toys lean on the gift (25%).
This quarter is quieter than the first, and the best time to film the videos for the rest of the year and build stock.
July to September: back to school and Saudi National Day
- Back to school: a general season in late August, not a fixed day, with ads from early August: bags, stationery and electronics.
- Saudi National Day, 23 September: ads from early September, and broad offers in every category in the largest Gulf market. A meaningful-number discount (23%) if it is real, and no national flag or emblem in a commercial ad, which is prohibited in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is in 35% of the newest Arabic Gulf ads, and a discount is in 35% of its ads on a normal day. The national days guide is National day offers.
October to December: White Friday and four national days
From 11.11 to 18 December, the Gulf buyer sees six seasons in five weeks:
- October: test White Friday ads on small budgets before costs rise.
- 11.11: a live test, especially in electronics and beauty.
- Oman National Day (18 November, holiday 20 and 21): ads in mid-November.
- White Friday, 26 November: launch in mid-November, scale in the week of the date. The leading categories: electronics (58% mention a discount today), perfumes (49%), makeup (51%) and fashion (53%).
- The UAE 2 December, Bahrain 16, Qatar 18: one clear offer per country, aimed at its people only.
The White Friday 2027 plan built from this year's ads is in White Friday 2027.
How to use the calendar
- The start rule: Ramadan four to six weeks before, White Friday testing at least two weeks before, and the Eids and national days on each occasion's row in the table: one to three weeks before.
- One collection per season: save competitors' ads every season in a collection named after it in GccFY; seasonal ads vanish from the Meta library when they stop, and stay in your collection to start from next year.
- One country per national occasion: a UAE National Day offer means nothing to a buyer in Kuwait.
- What is advertised now: before any season, look at the most advertised categories in the Gulf and sort them by longest running:
